Cough in adolescent with cystic fibrosis, from nightmare to COVID-19 stigma: A qualitative thematic analysis.
Leila Taheri, Jila Mirlashari, Mohammadreza Modaresi and 1 others
PMID 35279332WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents with cystic fibrosis described cough as constant and sleep-disrupting.
During COVID-19, cough made them fear being seen as contagious or addicted, and some avoided chest physiotherapy or exercise to prevent coughing in public.
Key findings
01Participants described cough as a fixed, obvious symptom that interfered with sleep.
02Adolescents feared being seen as contagious or addicted, and friends, family, and public sometimes distanced themselves when they coughed.
03Participants used both positive and negative coping strategies, and several avoided exercise or physiotherapy because it seemed to increase coughing.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study explored experiences in Iranian adolescents with cystic fibrosis during the COVID-19 pandemic, so the findings may not transfer to other countries, ages, or disease stages. It was a qualitative interview study, so it reports themes and coping patterns rather than measured effects of any treatment. The authors could not use group discussion because cystic fibrosis patients must keep distance from one another, which limited one qualitative data collection method.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these themes as evidence that chest physiotherapy or nebulizer use reduces stigma or improves adherence. The study describes what adolescents said about cough and coping, so it cannot show treatment effects or prove how common these experiences are.