Current cough and sputum assessed by the Cough And Sputum Assessment-Questionnaire (CASA-Q) is associated with quality of life impairment in cystic fibrosis

Abstract Background Cough and sputum are major symptoms in cystic fibrosis (CF) that contribute to the impairment of quality of life. Methods This prospective monocentric cross-sectional pilot study aimed to describe the results of the Cough and Sputum Assessment Questionnaire (CASA-Q) in CF adult patients at stable state, and to analyse associations with clinical, functional, microbiological, radiological data, and two quality of life scales: the Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire Revised (CFQ-R) and the Saint George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). Results Forty-eight patients were included in this analysis (69% men; median age of 27.8 years; median body mass index of 21.8 kg/m²; mean FEV 1 of 64% of the predicted value). The mean values of the CASA-Q domains were 58 for cough symptoms, 77 for cough impact, 62 for sputum symptoms and 84 for sputum impact. Impairment in CASA-Q cough and sputum domains was associated with dyspnea mMRC scale and exacerbations in the previous year. We also found correlations between all domains of the CASA-Q and quality of life questionnaires including SGRQ and to a lesser extend CFQ-R. We identified a clinical phenotype (female gender, ΔF508 heterozygous mutation, dyspnea mMRC scale) associated with an impairment of CASA-Q score and quality of life. Conclusions CASA-Q allows the assessment of cough and sputum in CF adult patients and is associated with quality of life impairment. This simple easy-to-use tool could be used in routine clinical practice and in clinical studies to assess cough and sputum in CF patients. Trial Registration The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02924818) on 5th October 2016.