Laryngeal Sensory Neuropathic Cough Is Not Associated With Membranous Vocal Fold Lesions

ABSTRACT Objectives Examine the association between laryngeal sensory neuropathic cough (LSNC) and membranous vocal fold (VF) lesions. Understand the clinical presentation and challenges in diagnosing this idiopathic condition. Methods A retrospective review was conducted of adult patients with chronic cough (> 8 weeks) seen at a tertiary academic laryngology center from 2015 to 2020. Laryngeal videostroboscopy exams were reviewed. Demographics, cough severity index (CSI), and chronic cough duration were collected. Descriptive statistics, chi‐square tests, and multivariable logistic regression (adjusting for age, sex, race, and cough duration) were performed. Results Among 119 patients with LSNC (44.2%), the mean age was 59.8 (SD = 16.5) and they were primarily female (66.4%) and white (39.5%). The mean cough duration was 5.8 years (SD = 9.1), and the mean CSI was 20.8 (SD = 9.4). Most patients (88.2%) had a normal age‐appropriate laryngeal exam. On chi‐square analysis, cough duration was not associated with VF lesion presence ( p = 0.698). In univariable (OR: 1.00 [95% CI: 0.94–1.08]) and multivariable logistic regression (OR: 0.99 [95% CI: 0.93–1.07]), cough duration was not significantly associated with VF lesions. Conclusion LSNC was rarely associated with membranous VF lesions in this cohort. These findings suggest that chronic cough may not be a risk factor for developing VF lesions. Level of Evidence: 4.