Cough symptoms in children following COVID-19: a single-center retrospective study.

BACKGROUND

Cough is the most common respiratory symptom in children with mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, evidence regarding the duration and severity of COVID-19-related cough is sparse. Herein, we investigated the correlation between cough severity/duration and disease duration in children with allergic diseases following COVID-19.

METHODS

This single-center, retrospective case-control study was conducted at the Department of Pediatrics, Peking University Third Hospital, from February 6-13, 2023. Children aged 0-16 completed a questionnaire survey collecting basic information and weekly cough scores for 8 consecutive weeks after COVID-19 in December 2022. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw event curves, and the log-rank method was used to compare inter-group differences. Stepwise regression was applied for multivariate analysis of correlations between age, sex, allergic diseases, and the degree and duration of cough following COVID-19.

RESULTS

Overall, 686 children were included, of whom 183 (26.7%) had allergic diseases and 503 (73.3%) did not. Kaplan-Meier analysis identified significant differences between patients with and without allergic disease (log-rank test,  = 0.002) and between patients with no allergic disease and those with one and more than one allergic disease (log-rank test,  = 0.003). Multivariate regression identified a link between the presence of more than one allergic disease and coughing for >4 weeks after infection ( < 0.001). Allergic disease was the primary factor linked to cough symptoms lasting 8 weeks and cough severity ( < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Allergic disease contributes to the prolonged duration and severity of coughing in children with mild COVID-19.