A Non-pharmacological Cough Control Therapy as an Adjuvant of Pulmonary Rehabilitation in People With Interstitial Lung Diseases and Chronic Cough - A Feasibility Study

What this Trial Is About

Coughing is a common and distressing symptom for people with interstitial lung disease (ILD), affecting daily activities, work, and social life. This research explores a non-drug cough control therapy combined with pulmonary rehabilitation to see if it is practical and helps reduce chronic cough lasting more than eight weeks in ILD patients. The study aims to assess how well patients accept this therapy and whether it improves quality of life, cough symptoms, and fatigue compared to standard pulmonary rehabilitation alone. Participants will join a pulmonary rehabilitation program involving aerobic and strengthening exercises, disease-specific education, and self-management as usual care. Two weeks before finishing this program, they will receive four virtual sessions of 45 to 60 minutes each, focusing on cough control education and techniques. These sessions include assessing cough, learning suppression methods, breathing retraining, and reinforcing strategies to manage cough in daily life. During the study, researchers will track enrollment and attendance to measure feasibility, along with various clinical outcomes like cough severity questionnaires, fatigue scales, breathlessness ratings, and patient satisfaction interviews. The intervention is delivered online via Zoom, allowing remote participation. The total study duration averages one year, with ongoing assessments to understand the therapy's impact and participants' experiences.

A Non-pharmacological Cough Control Therapy