State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, China.
State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, China.
Pulm Pharmacol Ther. 2019 Aug;57:101811. doi: 10.1016/j.pupt.2019.101811. Epub 2019 Jun 6.
Chronic cough is one of the most common complains for patients seeking medical attention in both general practice and respiratory specialist clinics. Cough variant asthma, eosinophilic bronchitis, upper airway cough syndrome, as well as gastro-esophageal reflux disease are common conditions associated with chronic cough, and cough variant asthma, eosinophilic bronchitis account for a higher proportion of patients with chronic cough in China than in Western countries. An older female predominance has been reported in most Western countries, which may be attributed to a higher cough reflex sensitivity in females, especially those post-menopausal females. However, studies conducted in China showed that patients with chronic cough have a nearly similar gender distribution and most of them are in their late 30s or early 40s, despite the similar gender and age difference in cough reflex sensitivity as Western countries. Environmental and occupational exposures, cigarette smoking, unhealthy lifestyle might play a role in the distinct age and gender distribution of Chinese chronic cough patients, yet further study is needed to clarify it.
慢性咳嗽是患者在全科诊所和呼吸专科诊所寻求医疗的最常见主诉之一。咳嗽变异性哮喘、嗜酸粒细胞性支气管炎、上气道咳嗽综合征以及胃食管反流病是与慢性咳嗽相关的常见病症，且咳嗽变异性哮喘、嗜酸粒细胞性支气管炎在中国的慢性咳嗽患者中比在西方国家的占比更高。大多数西方国家报道的慢性咳嗽患者以老年女性为主，这可能归因于女性咳嗽反射敏感性更高，尤其是绝经后女性。然而，在中国进行的研究表明，慢性咳嗽患者的性别分布几乎相似，他们大多处于 30 多岁或 40 多岁，尽管与西方国家一样，咳嗽反射敏感性在性别和年龄方面存在差异。环境和职业暴露、吸烟、不良生活方式可能在中国人慢性咳嗽患者的明显年龄和性别分布中起作用，但需要进一步的研究来阐明这一点。
