PREVALENCE OF NON-ASTHMATIC EOSINOPHILIC BRONCHITIS AMONG PATIENTS PRESENTING WITH CHRONIC COUGH

Objective: Eosinophilic bronchitis is a condition brought to greater attention of the healthcare community recently, as a probable cause of chronic cough by fresh evidence based literature. This study hopes to investigate the prevalence of non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis among patients presenting with chronic cough at our study setting. Methodology: This observational, cross-sectional analysis was conducted at the department of general medicine and chest medicine at Liaquat University Hospital, Jamshoro upon a total of 200 patients presenting with chronic cough (dating back to at least more than 8 weeks) from September 2017 to January 2018 after taking verbal informed consent. A suggestive chest radiograph and sputum eosinophil count of more than 3% was considered indicative of non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis. Results: Among the study subjects, 60% of the sample comprised of males, while the remaining 40% were females. The mean age of the study population was 39 years, with 26% of the total subjects i.e. 52 patients testing positive for non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis. Conclusion: After careful consideration, the obtained results show that prevalence of eosinophilic (non-asthmatic) bronchitis, is marked among the study population. Routine sputum analysis is thus recommended for all patients presenting with chronic cough. Keywords: Eosinophilia, Bronchitis, Asthma, Chronic Cough and Sputum Eosinophilia