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

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 t-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.