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Patients with severe or chronic cough occasionally experience rib fractures. In this single-center study from Mayo Clinic, researchers examined the clinical features of such cases.
A computerized medical record search identified 54 patients (mean age, 55; 78% female) with radiologically confirmed cough-induced rib fractures over a 9-year period. Cough was acute (duration, <3 weeks) in 15% of patients and chronic in 85%. The onset of chest pain was sudden in 35% and gradual in 65%. Half the fractures were located laterally, one fourth were anterior, and one fourth were posterior; the fifth through ninth ribs were affected most often. Half the patients had more than one fractured rib. Standard chest x-rays detected only 58% of cough-induced fr…