Impact of Refractory Chronic Cough on Activities of Daily Living and Response to Acute High-intensity Exercise

Chronic cough is a common and debilitating condition that affects up to 10% of the global population. The health impact of chronic cough is multifaceted and manifests both physical and psychological symptoms including syncope, chest pain, lethargy, depression and anxiety. It is now also recognised that chronic cough often leads to social isolation and may impact an individual's ability or confidence to undertake routine daily tasks / lead an active lifestyle. The primary aim of this study is therefore to characterise the impact of refractory chronic cough on the ability to undertake daily activities - i.e., determine whether individuals with chronic cough exhibit impaired levels of physical activity during usual daily living when compared with healthy matched controls. A secondary aim is to assess the short-term impact of high-intensity exercise on cough (i.e., determine whether an acute bout of exercise alters cough frequency and/or severity).