Efficacy of behavioral cough suppression therapy for refractory chronic cough or unexplained chronic cough: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: The efficacy of behavioral cough suppression therapy (BCST) for refractory chronic cough (RCC) and unexplained chronic cough (UCC) remains unclear due to limited evidence from small-scale single-center studies.

Objective: To compile and assess the quality of evidence from randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness of BCST.

Design: This study included randomized controlled studies and self-controlled studies related to BCST involving adult patients with RCC or UCC.

Data sources and methods: We conducted an extensive search of various English and Chinese databases (e.g., PubMed, CNKI, CBM, VIP, and Wanfang Data Journal Full-text Database) and the Clinical Trial Registration website up to April 2024. The selected studies underwent meta-analysis to investigate the impact of BCST on the patient's quality of life and cough frequency.

Results: The included 12 studies showed that BCST significantly improved the Leicester Cough Questionnaire scores of the patients (MD = 4.50, 95% CI (4.03, 4.97), p < 0.001) compared to the simple verbal education group. In addition, a significant reduction in objective cough frequency was observed in patients compared to before BCST, with a statistically significant difference (MD = -8.06, 95% CI (-9.71, -6.41), p < 0.001). Other measures of cough symptoms, such as symptom scores, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores, and Cough Severity Index (CSI) also showed improvement.

Conclusion: This meta-analysis revealed positive therapeutic effects of BCST in patients with RCC/UCC, potentially advancing its application in broader clinical settings.

Trial registration: This study was registered on PROSPERO with the registration number CRD42024530746.