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Risk Factors for Persistent Chronic Cough During Consecutive Years: A Retrospective Database Analysis
Robert S Zeiger1, Michael Schatz2, Yichen Zhou3
1Department of Allergy, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, San Diego, Calif; Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, Calif; Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, Calif.
Identifying risk factors for persistent chronic cough (PCC) is crucial for patient management. This study found elderly, female, less educated patients, those with specific comorbidities, and certain medications were at higher risk for PCC.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Clinical Epidemiology
Background:
- Persistent chronic cough (PCC) presents a significant clinical burden.
- Risk factors driving persistent cough symptoms are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify risk factors associated with persistent chronic cough (PCC) in patients diagnosed with chronic cough (CC).
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of adults (18-85 years) diagnosed with CC between 2011-2016.
- PCC defined by recurrent CC codes or cough events over consecutive years post-initial diagnosis.
- Poisson regression models used to estimate risk ratios for baseline patient characteristics.
Main Results:
- 27.4% of patients developed PCC.
- Increased adjusted risk ratios for PCC were associated with elderly status, female gender, lower education, and comorbidities like COPD, sinusitis, bronchiectasis, and hypertension.
- Specific medications (inhaled corticosteroids/long-acting beta-agonists, leukotriene modifiers, PPIs, etc.) and specialist care (especially pulmonologists) were linked to higher PCC risk.
Conclusions:
- Identifying independent risk factors for PCC can improve patient identification and clinical management.
- Understanding these factors aids clinicians in better managing patients with chronic cough.
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