Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
Quantify and characterize cough as an adverse reaction secondary to captopril.
DESIGN:
Cohort analytic study: six-month prospective trial including two-week, placebo, run-in period; five-month, single-blind, active treatment; and two-week, dechallenge period.
SETTING:
Outpatient clinic.
PATIENTS:
199 previously treated or newly diagnosed untreated patients with mild to moderate hypertension.
INTERVENTIONS:
Captopril 50 mg/d during five months.
OUTCOME MEASURES:
Self-questionnaires, interviews, dechallenge, and rechallenge periods, Naranjo's algorithm.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:
(1) Cumulative incidence of captopril-induced cough over a five-month period was 7.1 percent (95 percent C.I., 6.8–7.4 percent). Incidence of drug withdrawal secondary to severe cough was 1.0 percent; this figure is somewhat similar to first reports about the reaction. (2) Cough was a generally mild to moderate symptom, present day and night in 71.4 percent of patients and resistant to antitussive agents. Cough was not statistically related to sex, age, or smoking habit; however, the female gender and the development of a common cold may be predisposing factors.
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