N-acetylcysteine inhalation improved sputum rheology in chronic productive cough: Clinical application in two cases.

IF 2 Q2 RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

Respiratory investigation Pub Date : 2025-10-08 DOI:10.1016/j.resinv.2025.08.009

Haruhiko Ogawa, Yuka Uchida, Lydia Esteban Enjuto

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Abstract

This pilot study evaluated the effects of inhaled N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on sputum rheology in patients with chronic productive cough (CPC). Rheological measurements before and 30 min after inhalation were compared retrospectively in 16 outpatients receiving either NAC (n = 9) or bromhexine hydrochloride (BXH) (n = 7). NAC inhalation significantly reduced critical strain (γ_C), an indicator of sputum stringiness, from 2370 [1310-4390] % to 643 [389-700] % (median and interquartile range), with a significantly greater effect than BXH. This reduction was observed regardless of airway fungal colonization. In addition, two case reports, a 67-year-old man with bronchorrhea and a 79-year-old woman with refractory asthma, demonstrated improved quality-of-life scores evaluated with the Cough and Sputum Assessment Questionnaire (CASA-Q) and rheological improvement following 1-2 weeks of twice-daily NAC inhalation. These findings suggest that nebulized NAC may be a promising add-on therapy for refractory airway diseases characterized by high sputum stringiness (γ_C).

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n -乙酰半胱氨酸吸入改善慢性咳痰流变学：2例临床应用。

本初步研究评估了吸入n -乙酰半胱氨酸（NAC）对慢性咳痰（CPC）患者痰流变学的影响。回顾性比较16例接受NAC （n = 9）或盐酸溴克辛（BXH）（n = 7）门诊患者吸入前和吸入后30min的流变学指标。吸入NAC可显著降低痰液黏度指标——临界应变（γC），从2370[1310-4390]%降至643[389-700]%（中位数和四分位数范围），显著高于BXH。无论气道真菌定植与否，都观察到这种减少。此外，两例病例报告，一名患有支气管气管炎的67岁男性和一名患有难治性哮喘的79岁女性，在每天吸入两次NAC 1-2周后，咳嗽和痰评估问卷（CASA-Q）评估了生活质量评分和流变学改善。这些发现表明，雾化NAC可能是一种有希望的附加治疗难治性气道疾病，其特征是高痰黏度（γ - c）。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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