Queensland Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Level 4, Foundation Building, Royal Children's Hospital, Herston Road, Brisbane, Herston QLD 4029, Australia.
BMC Pediatr. 2013 Aug 15;13:125. doi: 10.1186/1471-2431-13-125.
Acute respiratory illness, a leading cause of cough in children, accounts for a substantial proportion of childhood morbidity and mortality worldwide. In some children acute cough progresses to chronic cough (>4 weeks duration), impacting on morbidity and decreasing quality of life. Despite the importance of chronic cough as a cause of substantial childhood morbidity and associated economic, family and social costs, data on the prevalence, predictors, aetiology and natural history of the symptom are scarce. This study aims to comprehensively describe the epidemiology, aetiology and outcomes of cough during and after acute respiratory illness in children presenting to a tertiary paediatric emergency department.
METHODS/DESIGN: A prospective cohort study of children aged <15 years attending the Royal Children's Hospital Emergency Department, Brisbane, for a respiratory illness that includes parent reported cough (wet or dry) as a symptom. The primary objective is to determine the prevalence and predictors of chronic cough (≥4 weeks duration) post presentation with acute respiratory illness. Demographic, epidemiological, risk factor, microbiological and clinical data are completed at enrolment. Subjects complete daily cough dairies and weekly follow-up contacts for 28(±3) days to ascertain cough persistence. Children who continue to cough for 28 days post enrolment are referred to a paediatric respiratory physician for review. Primary analysis will be the proportion of children with persistent cough at day 28(±3). Multivariate analyses will be performed to evaluate variables independently associated with chronic cough at day 28(±3).
Our protocol will be the first to comprehensively describe the natural history, epidemiology, aetiology and outcomes of cough during and after acute respiratory illness in children. The results will contribute to studies leading to the development of evidence-based clinical guidelines to improve the early detection and management of chronic cough in children during and after acute respiratory illness.
急性呼吸道疾病是导致儿童咳嗽的主要原因，在全球范围内造成了相当大比例的儿童发病和死亡。在一些儿童中，急性咳嗽会发展为慢性咳嗽（持续时间超过 4 周），影响发病率并降低生活质量。尽管慢性咳嗽作为导致大量儿童发病的原因及其相关的经济、家庭和社会成本非常重要，但关于该症状的患病率、预测因素、病因学和自然病史的数据仍然很少。本研究旨在全面描述在三级儿科急诊就诊的患有急性呼吸道疾病的儿童中咳嗽在疾病期间和之后的流行病学、病因学和结局。
方法/设计：这是一项前瞻性队列研究，纳入年龄<15 岁的因呼吸道疾病到布里斯班皇家儿童医院急诊就诊的儿童，其中包括父母报告的咳嗽（湿咳或干咳）症状。主要目的是确定急性呼吸道疾病就诊后慢性咳嗽（持续时间≥4 周）的患病率和预测因素。在入组时完成人口统计学、流行病学、危险因素、微生物学和临床数据。研究对象完成每日咳嗽日记和每周 28(±3)天的随访联系，以确定咳嗽是否持续存在。在入组后持续咳嗽 28 天的儿童将被转介给儿科呼吸医师进行评估。主要分析将是在第 28(±3)天有持续咳嗽的儿童的比例。将进行多变量分析，以评估与第 28(±3)天慢性咳嗽独立相关的变量。
我们的方案将是第一个全面描述儿童急性呼吸道疾病期间和之后咳嗽的自然史、流行病学、病因学和结局的方案。研究结果将有助于开展研究，为在急性呼吸道疾病期间和之后早期发现和管理儿童慢性咳嗽制定循证临床指南提供依据。
