Nighttime coughs may be an early warning sign for worsening asthma

For people with severe uncontrolled asthma, the number of times they cough at night might be telling a story their daytime check-ins can't. A pilot study presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress found that a fivefold rise in nocturnal cough rate was significantly associated with higher odds of worsening asthma symptoms over the next three days — without patients having to do a thing.

The study used the Albus Home device, a contactless bedside monitor that tracks nighttime cough and other physiological signals without requiring patients to wear anything. Among 13 adults with severe uncontrolled asthma, adherence was remarkably high — a median of 335 out of 365 nights recorded — suggesting the passive approach is both practical and well-tolerated.

By the Numbers:

• Fivefold rise in nocturnal cough → OR = 1.55 for worse symptoms the next day
• OR = 1.49 two days after; OR = 1.43 three days after
• Median adherence: 92% (335/365 nights recorded)
• Median recording duration: 9.5 hours/night

Why it matters: Current asthma monitoring relies heavily on patient-reported symptoms and periodic clinic visits — tools that can miss gradual day-to-day deterioration. Passive nocturnal cough monitoring could give clinicians a more continuous, objective window into disease activity, potentially enabling earlier intervention before a full-blown exacerbation occurs.