Current cough and sputum assessed by the cough and sputum assessment-questionnaire (CASA-Q) is associated with quality of life impairment in cystic fibrosis

BACKGROUND: Cough and sputum are major symptoms in cystic fibrosis (CF) that contribute to the impairment of quality of life. METHODS: This prospective single centre cross-sectional pilot study aimed to evaluate the results of a self-administered questionnaire assessing cough and sputum symptoms (2 domains), and their impact (2 domains) on daily activities in the previous week, named 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 ± 8.1 years; median body mass index of 21.8 + 3.3 kg/m²; mean FEV(1) of 64 ± 30% of the predicted value). The mean values of the CASA-Q domains were 58 ± 23 for cough symptoms, 77 ± 24 for cough impact, 62 ± 25 for sputum symptoms and 84 ± 21 for sputum impact. Impairment in CASA-Q cough and sputum domains was associated with dyspnea mMRC scale (p < 0.005 for all 4 domains of CASA-Q) and exacerbations in the previous year (p < 0.05 for CASA-Q symptoms domains). We also found correlations between all domains of the CASA-Q and quality of life questionnaires including SGRQ (p < 0.001) 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 using a 2-step cluster analysis. 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, first posted on 5th October 2016). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12890-023-02701-3.