• M Ribolsi, E Savarino, N De Bortoli, P Balestrieri, M Furnari, I Martinucci, M Casale, F Greco, F Salvinelli, V Savarino, S Marchi, and M Cicala.
• Unit of Digestive Disease, Campus Bio Medico University, Rome, Italy.
• Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. 2014 Oct 1; 40 (8): 966-73.

BackgroundGastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may contribute to the onset of chronic cough (CC); however, the multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH (MII-pH) monitoring is often within the normal range and the response to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) unsatisfactory. The measure of impedance baseline (IB) increases the sensitivity of MII-pH in patients with typical symptoms.AimTo evaluate the role of MII-pH variables, including IB, in predicting PPI response and to define the characteristics of the reflux pattern in CC patients.MethodsProspectively selected CC patients suspected GERD-related underwent MII-pH monitoring and, therefore, received a double dose of PPIs for at least 6 weeks. Patients filled symptom scores before MII-pH and after PPI therapy. MII-pH data were compared with those obtained in 60 non-erosive reflux disease patients with typical symptoms.ResultsA total of 156 CC patients entered the study: 68 (43.5%) responders and 88 (56.5%) nonresponders to PPIs. The number of reflux episodes was significantly higher in CC compared with that in typical symptoms patients. Nonresponder CC patients with a pathological acid exposure time (AET) and/or IB value were 43/88 (49%), while 15/88 (17%) presented only pathological AET (P < 0.001). CC patients with a pathological AET or IB, or with both a pathological AET and IB, showed a probability of PPI response twofold greater than patients with normal AET and IB.ConclusionsThe presence of a pathological AET or pathological IB in CC patients is associated with a greater probability of PPI response. IB is a promising variable in patients with CC, as it increases the diagnostic yield of MII-pH and allows confirmation of the GERD diagnosis in these patients.© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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