Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Goyang, Korea.
Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Goyang, Korea.
J Korean Med Sci. 2024 Oct 7;39(38):e273. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e273.
Chronic cough is a common symptom encountered by healthcare practitioners. The global prevalence of chronic cough is 9.6%, with a female predominance. The aim of our study is to reveal the sex differences in prevalence and severity of chronic cough in South Korea, stratified by age and etiology.
This study included adult patients with chronic cough who were recruited from 19 respiratory centers in South Korea. Patients completed the cough numeric rating scale (NRS) and COugh Assessment Test (COAT) questionnaire to assess the severity and multidimensional impact of cough.
Among the 625 patients, 419 (67.0%) were females, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:2.03. The mean age was 49.4 years, and the median duration of cough was 12 weeks. The mean NRS and COAT scores were 5.5 ± 1.8 and 9.5 ± 3.6, respectively. Female patients were older (45.3 ± 15.4 vs. 51.6 ± 15.2, < 0.001) and more likely to have asthma/cough variant asthma (CVA) (26.7% vs. 40.8%, = 0.001) than male patients. There was no difference in the duration or severity of cough between sexes, regardless of the cause. The male-to-female ratio was lower for upper airway cough syndrome (UACS), asthma/CVA, and gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), but not for eosinophilic bronchitis (EB) or unexplained cough. The mean age of female patients was higher in UACS and asthma/CVA, but not in EB, GERD, or unexplained cough. The majority (24.2%) fell within the age category of 50s. The proportion of females with cough increased with age, with a significant rise in the 50s, 60s, and 70-89 age groups. The severity of cough decreased in the 50s, 60s, and 70-89 age groups, with no significant sex differences within the same age group.
The sex disparities in prevalence and severity of cough varied significantly depending on the age category and etiology. Understanding the specific sex-based difference could enhance comprehension of cough-related pathophysiology and treatment strategies.
慢性咳嗽是临床医生常见的症状。全球慢性咳嗽的患病率为 9.6%，女性居多。我们的研究目的是揭示韩国慢性咳嗽的患病率和严重程度的性别差异，并按年龄和病因进行分层。
本研究纳入了来自韩国 19 个呼吸中心的慢性咳嗽成年患者。患者完成咳嗽数字评分量表（NRS）和咳嗽评估测试（COAT）问卷，以评估咳嗽的严重程度和多维影响。
在 625 名患者中，419 名（67.0%）为女性，男女比例为 1:2.03。平均年龄为 49.4 岁，咳嗽中位数持续时间为 12 周。平均 NRS 和 COAT 评分为 5.5±1.8 和 9.5±3.6。女性患者年龄较大（45.3±15.4 岁 vs. 51.6±15.2 岁，<0.001），且哮喘/咳嗽变异性哮喘（CVA）的可能性更高（26.7% vs. 40.8%，=0.001）。无论病因如何，男女之间咳嗽的持续时间或严重程度均无差异。上气道咳嗽综合征（UACS）、哮喘/CVA 和胃食管反流病（GERD）的男女比例较低，但嗜酸性粒细胞性支气管炎（EB）或不明原因的咳嗽则不然。UACS 和哮喘/CVA 中女性患者的平均年龄较大，但在 EB、GERD 或不明原因的咳嗽中则不然。大多数（24.2%）处于 50 多岁年龄段。女性咳嗽的比例随着年龄的增长而增加，在 50 多岁、60 多岁和 70-89 岁年龄组中显著上升。在 50 多岁、60 多岁和 70-89 岁年龄组中，咳嗽的严重程度下降，同一年龄组内无显著性别差异。
咳嗽的患病率和严重程度的性别差异在很大程度上取决于年龄类别和病因。了解特定的基于性别的差异可以增强对咳嗽相关病理生理学和治疗策略的理解。
