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(Chest. 2005;128:196-202.)
© 2005 American College of Chest Physicians

Safety of Capsaicin Cough Challenge Testing*

Peter V. Dicpinigaitis, MD, FCCP and Rakesh V. Alva, MD

* From the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY.

Correspondence to: Peter Dicpinigaitis, MD, FCCP, Einstein Division/Montefiore Medical Center, 1825 Eastchester Rd, Bronx, NY 10461; e-mail: pdicpinigaitis{at}pol.net

Background: Capsaicin, the pungent extract of red peppers, has achieved widespread use in clinical research because it induces cough in a dose-dependent and reproducible manner. Although > 2 decades of experience has led investigators to consider capsaicin cough challenge testing a safe diagnostic modality, this issue has not been specifically addressed in the literature.

Study objectives: To review the published experience with capsaicin inhalation challenge testing in terms of safety.

Design: Literature review and personal communication with study authors.

Setting: Academic medical center.

Results: One hundred twenty-two published studies since 1984 described 4,833 subjects (4,374 adults, 459 children) undergoing capsaicin cough challenge, with no serious adverse events reported. Subjects included healthy volunteers as well as patients with asthma, COPD, pathologic cough, and other respiratory conditions. Minor complaints described in a small fraction of studies consisted mainly of transient throat irritation. Personal communication with the authors of > 90% of the studies confirmed an absence of any serious adverse events. Furthermore, these investigators have performed thousands of additional capsaicin challenge studies not reported in the literature, also without any associated serious adverse events.

Conclusions: A review of the 20-year clinical experience has failed to uncover a single serious adverse event associated with capsaicin cough challenge testing in humans. Given the need for better antitussive therapies, capsaicin represents a vital component of future scientific inquiry in the field of cough.

Key Words: adverse effects • capsaicin • capsicum • cough • cough challenge studies • safety • side effects




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A. Johansson, E. Millqvist, S. Nordin, and M. Bende
Relationship Between Self-Reported Odor Intolerance and Sensitivity to Inhaled Capsaicin: Proposed Definition of Airway Sensory Hyperreactivity and Estimation of Its Prevalence
Chest, June 1, 2006; 129(6): 1623 - 1628.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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