OBJECTIVE: To review the clinical associations between peritoneal dialysis (PD) and cough.
METHODOLOGY: A literature review was performed on PubMed for articles published between 1983 and 2004 using the search terms “dialysis” and “cough.”
RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Patients receiving PD are more likely to develop a cough than other patients with end-stage renal disease who are receiving hemodialysis. Although both groups of patients frequently receive medications, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and beta-adrenergic blocking agents, that can trigger cough and both may be at increased risk for fluid overload and pulmonary edema, the increased risk associated with PD appears to relate to gastroesophageal reflux, likely from the peritoneal dialysate.