Effects of Pregabalin as a Neural Pathway Inhibitor for the Treatment of Resistant Subacute and Chronic Cough: A Pilot Clinical Trials Study

Abstract

Background: Cough hypersensitivity syndrome is one of the causes of chronic cough. Small clinical trials have suggested the effects of pregabalin as a neural pathway inhibitor in treating subacute and chronic cough resistance. Methods: This study is an 8-week, pilot study randomized, double-blind clinical trial on 30 patients’ resistant to treatment of the underlying cause who were referred to an ultra-specialized lung clinic, Shahid Beheshti Hospital, between 2021-2022. The samples were randomly divided into control (dextromethorphan and placebo) and intervention (dextromethorphan and pregabalin). Patients were evaluated at the beginning, during, and after eight weeks of treatment, using the modified standard Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) regarding the changes and the rate of recovery compared to before Participation in the study. Findings: The quality of life score of patients eight weeks after treatment had a significant difference and was higher in the intervention group (In the pregabalin group) than in the control group (p =0.006). The recovery rate of cough in 26% of patients was equal to 70%, but others were reported up to 50%. Conclusion: Pregabalin increases the quality of life in patients with subacute and chronic cough resistant to standard treatment and increases the rate of recovery in these patients.