For those dealing with a persistent cough, know that it might be in your genes. Recent studies from Uppsala University in Sweden reveal that chronic cough, a leading reason for doctor visits, may have a genetic component, and the condition particularly impacts middle-aged women.
A cough is considered a chronic condition when it lasts for at least eight weeks or longer, often without links to other conditions and not responding to treatment.
Össur Ingi Emilsson from Uppsala University's Department of Medical Sciences, who led the study, said that more than 10% of the population suffers from chronic cough, impacting the quality of life and work capabilities of those affected.
Despite its prevalence, there is a significant lack of knowledge about its causes and treatments. To bridge the gap, the researchers conducted two studies investigating how chronic cough is managed in Swedish health care, and if the condition can be hereditary.
The study published in Plus One examined the prevalence of chronic cough among the Swedish population between 2016 and 2018. In these three years, 1–2% of the Swedish population sought care for chronic coughs, mostly long-standing ones. The researchers noted that the prevalence of chronic cough is highest among women between the ages of 40 and 60, affecting around 21,000 women.
"Women generally seem to have a slightly more sensitive cough reflex, so the threshold for abnormal coughing is lower in women than in men. For me, it was unexpected that only one to two percent of patients seek help for a troublesome cough when over ten percent are affected. This can be partly explained by the lack of effective treatments. There also appeared to be some differences in care between different parts of the country, suggesting that better guidelines are needed for investigating and treating chronic cough," Emilsson said in a news release.
The second study by the same group that evaluated 7,155 parents and their 8,176 adult children in Northern Europe revealed a striking finding: if a parent suffers from chronic dry cough, their children are more than 50% more likely to experience the same condition. This connection remains even when accounting for other factors like asthma, gender, and smoking habits. The results were published in the journal ERJ Open Research.
The researchers also noted that 14% of children whose parents had a productive cough — one that brings up phlegm or mucus — also reported having the same type of cough, while only 11% of children with parents without a productive cough experienced it.
"No associations were found between parent productive cough – offspring non-productive cough, nor between parent non-productive cough – offspring productive cough," the researchers wrote.
