Researchers investigated the effect of oral iron and anti-oxidants on cough symptoms associated with a widely used drug, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and nitric oxide levels. ACE inhibitors are widely prescribed for the treatment of high blood pressure, heart failure and other cardiac conditions. In this study, after a 2-week observation period, participants received 200 mg ferrous sulphate (iron) (n=11), 200 mg vitamin E and 150 mg vitamin C (n=8), or placebo (n=9) for 4 weeks. At the end of the study, cough scores, nitric oxide and malondialdehyde (MDA) level (measures cell damage) had significantly decreased in the iron group. Only cough scores and MDA level had significantly decreased in the anti-oxidant group. NO levels were found to increase significantly in patients who developed a cough compared to those that did not. No changes were recorded for the placebo group. (90)
