A recent study found that people with type 2 diabetes are more likely to develop chronic cough when they use medications that mimic the action of the hormone GLP-1 compared to other diabetes medications. These drugs bind to receptors for the GLP-1 hormone in the pancreas, which is secreted by the intestine after eating, leading to increased insulin secretion depending on the blood sugar level, delaying gastric emptying and reducing appetite. In the study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association of Otolaryngology, researchers concluded that the likelihood of developing a cough lasting longer than two months within 5 years of starting treatment was 12% higher among those using a drug based on GLP-1. The results are based on data collected between 2005 and 2025 from more than 2 million people with type 2 diabetes in the United States, of whom more than 400,000 took GLP-1 drugs, including semaglutide, which is the main ingredient in GLP-1 drugs manufactured by Novo Nordisk such as Ozambic. GLP-1 drugs are known to have gastrointestinal side effects because they slow digestion. The researchers noted that it may also increase the incidence of esophageal reflux, a risk factor for cough. The researchers said that medication use was associated with cough even in patients without esophageal reflux. The researchers recommended that doctors consider this possible connection when diagnosing cases of chronic cough, especially if the symptoms are not consistent with other causes. “We recommend that physicians who see patients with chronic cough should be aware of this newly discovered relationship between GLP-1 medication and cough, and therefore ask patients about the use of this medication,” says Dr. Anka Barbeau, a researcher at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.