Chronic cough clinic
Posted Aug 16, 2010 1:18 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Chronic Cough Clinic at the University of Calgary is being called a big success.
Chronic cough is when a person coughs consistently without any underlying health problem.
Respirologist Dr. Stephen Field at the Foothills Medical Centre, who helped establish the clinic in 2006, says there are a lot of problems associated with the condition.
“Many coughs are not life-threatening but they can be life-disabling,” says Dr. Field, “Many people experience coughing so violent, it leads to retching, vomiting and even incontinence. A large percentage has their sleep disrupted because they cough during the night. Then there is the anxiety component. People tell us, ‘My friend was diagnosed with lung cancer and my cough sounds just like hers.’ It isn’t cancer in most cases but it is in their mind.”
In the four years since the clinic opened it has helped about a thousand patients.
Field says sending patients to the specialized clinic rather than their family doctor has saved the health care system about $500 per patient.
