New consumer insight shows more than half (56%) of adults ‘usually’ get a cough following a cold or chest infection, with one in five (20%) ‘always’ developing one

 

58% of people think you need to get the right cough mixture for the type of cough

 

Another study debunks the myth that different coughs require different medicines – all coughs are driven by the same underlying mechanism, cough reflex hypersensitivity

Research revealed today shows that 98% of adults say that they typically develop a cough following a cold or a chest infection.

In a recent clinical trial, the largest recent study on OTC products conducted in the UK, shows that one new medicine on the market helps to reduce cough frequency and night time disruption.

While 40% of people think they have become more prone to coughing as they’ve gotten older, 44% still don’t ask their pharmacist or GP for advice when buying cough medicine.

86% of people surveyed by UNICOUGH believe there are different types of cough, with 56% thinking you need the right cough mixture for the type of cough you have.

Yet in a recent publication in the Clinical Pharmacist, Professor Morice establishes that the traditional classification of “wet” and “dry” coughs are outdated.  In fact all coughs are caused by the same mechanism – cough reflex hypersensitivity.

And despite 84% of us thinking it’s important that all cough medicines have undergone clinical trials to prove their effectiveness, the experts involved in the study warn, “Much of the over-the-counter therapy currently recommended is based on custom and practice and is not supported by clinical studies of sufficient quality to meet the standards of modern evidence-based medicine”.

So what should you be using to treat your coughs during the chilly months, and beyond?

To find out more Emilee Senchyna interviewed TV’s Dr Hilary Jones