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Prescriptions of opioid-containing drugs in patients with chronic cough.

Weiner M, Liu Z, Schelfhout J, Dexter P, Roberts AR, Griffith A, Bali V, Weaver J. Prescriptions of opioid-containing drugs in patients with chronic cough. Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease. 2024 Jan 1; 18:17534666241259373.

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Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Chronic cough (CC) affects about 10% of adults, but opioid use in CC is not well understood. OBJECTIVES: To determine the use of opioid-containing cough suppressant (OCCS) prescriptions in patients with CC using electronic health records. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: Through retrospective analysis of Midwestern U.S. electronic health records, diagnoses, prescriptions, and natural language processing identified CC - at least three medical encounters with cough, with 56-120 days between first and last encounter - and a 'non-chronic cohort'. Student's -test, Pearson's chi-square, and zero-inflated Poisson models were used. RESULTS: About 20% of 23,210 patients with CC were prescribed OCCS; odds of an OCCS prescription were twice as great in CC. In CC, OCCS drugs were ordered in 38% with Medicaid insurance and 15% with commercial insurance. CONCLUSION: Findings identify an important role for opioids in CC, and opportunity to learn more about the drugs' effectiveness.




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