Thalidomide for the Treatment of Cough in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Authors: Jeffrey J. Swigris, Kevin K. Brown, Amanda Belkin
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2013)

Letters19 March 2013Thalidomide for the Treatment of Cough in Idiopathic Pulmonary FibrosisJeffrey J. Swigris, DO, MS, Kevin K. Brown, MD, and Amanda Belkin, MPHJeffrey J. Swigris, DO, MSFrom National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado.Search for more papers by this author, Kevin K. Brown, MDFrom National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado.Search for more papers by this author, and Amanda Belkin, MPHFrom National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-158-6-201303190-00015 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We read the article by Horton and colleagues (1) with interest. Besides dyspnea and fatigue, cough is a hallmark symptom of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). For a significant minority of these patients, cough is the most debilitating. They describe an ever-present “nagging” sensation and “never feeling relieved after coughing” (2). In our unpublished research, patients with IPF describe cough when they “talk too long,” when they breathe “hard” or “fast,” or when their oxygen saturation is low. Cough can occur in frightening paroxysms, cause significant oxygen desaturation, and leave patients “wiped out.” The potential for ...References1. Horton MR, Santopietro V, Mathew L, Horton KM, Polito AJ, Liu MC, et al. Thalidomide for the treatment of cough in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2012;157:398-406. [PMID: 22986377] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Jones PW, Quirk FH, Baveystock CM. The St George's Respiratory Questionnaire. Respir Med. 1991;85 Suppl B 25-31. [PMID: 1759018] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado.Disclosures: Dr. Swigris: Grant (money to institution): NIH; Consultancy: Genentech; Grants/grants pending (money to institution): NIH; Payment for development of educational presentations: Intermune. Dr. Brown: Grant (money to institution): NIH; Consultancy: Genzyme, Gilead, Genentech, Fibrogen, Celgene, Amgen, Centocor, Novartis, Array Biopharma, Stromedix/Biogen, Ikaria, Pfizer, Mesoblast, Ironwood Pharma, Actelion, Almirall, Boehringer Ingelheim, Human Genome Sciences, Promedior, Phillips-Respironics, Medimmune; Grants/grants pending (money to institution): NIH; Other: unpaid board member of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation; unpaid consultant for GeNO, GlaxoSmithKline, and MondoBiotech. Ms. Belkin: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThalidomide for the Treatment of Cough in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Maureen R. Horton , Victoria Santopietro , Leena Mathew , Karen M. Horton , Albert J. Polito , Mark C. Liu , Sonye K. Danoff , and Noah Lechtzin Thalidomide for the Treatment of Cough in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Noah Lechtzin and Maureen R. Horton Metrics Cited ByIncreased expression of lung TRPV1/TRPA1 in a cough model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in Guinea pigs 19 March 2013Volume 158, Issue 6Page: 498KeywordsDyspneaInterstitial lung diseasesOxygenPulmonary diseasesPulmonary fibrosisQuality of lifeQuestionnairesRespiratory system proceduresStatistical models ePublished: 19 March 2013 Issue Published: 19 March 2013 CopyrightCopyright © 2013 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...