Cough during infancy and subsequent childhood asthma

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Allergy and Immunology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Wheezing in infancy is a known asthma predictor.
• The association between infant cough characteristics and later asthma risk is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if prolonged cough and cough without a cold in the first year of life predict childhood asthma.
• To determine if these cough patterns are independent predictors of asthma, even when accounting for wheezing.

Main Methods:

• A birth cohort (Infant Immune Study) was surveyed seven times in the first nine months for wheeze and cough.
• Prolonged cough was defined as lasting over 28 days; cough without cold was assessed at one year.
• Asthma diagnosis (2-9 years) was based on parental reports of physician diagnosis, symptoms, or medication use; logistic regression analyzed associations.

Main Results:

• 24% of infants had prolonged cough, and 23% had cough without a cold.
• Prolonged cough (OR 3.57) and cough without cold (OR 3.13) were significantly associated with increased childhood asthma risk.
• These associations remained significant after adjusting for infant wheeze and total IgE levels, and were particularly strong in children of asthmatic mothers.

Conclusions:

• Infant cough characteristics, specifically prolonged duration or occurring without a cold, are significant early indicators of asthma susceptibility.
• These findings highlight the importance of cough patterns in infancy as potential biomarkers for identifying children at higher risk for developing asthma.
• The association is independent of infant wheezing, suggesting cough provides unique predictive information, especially in families with a history of asthma.