Jindal Surinder Kumar, Vora Agam, Thakor Priti, Malve Harshad, Panchal Roshni
Director, Jindal Chest Clinics, Chandigarh, India.
Consultant Pulmonologist and Medical Director, Vora Clinic, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
J Assoc Physicians India. 2025 Jun;73(6S):14-21. doi: 10.59556/japi.73.1025.
Acute cough is a common symptom reflecting the body's protective reflex and is associated with many ailments beyond respiratory conditions. This study aims to assess the prevalence of acute cough, including its categorization, associated complaints, and conditions in adult and elderly patients in real-world settings in India.
A retrospective analysis of electronic medical records (EMRs) was conducted to evaluate the prevalence and clinical features of acute cough in adult and elderly patients.
Of 22,51,735 patients with cough complaints in the EMR, 64.06% were adults (18-65 years) and 10.39% were elderly patients (>65 years). Among the adult patients with cough complaints, nonproductive cough was prevalent in a higher proportion (16.34%) than productive cough (12.62%). Additionally, in 71.04% of adults, cough was not categorized and marked as unspecified cough. While in the geriatric population, productive cough (18.78%) was more common than nonproductive cough (14.80%). In 66.42% of geriatric patients, cough remained unspecified. A higher proportion of adult and geriatric patients visited consulting physicians (CPs) and general physicians (GPs). Respiratory tract infection (RTI) was the most frequently associated condition, followed by asthma, bronchitis, and other ailments. Fever and cold were common complaints among patients with both productive and nonproductive cough. This study underscores the substantial prevalence of acute cough in adults and the elderly population and the need for targeted strategies to manage it effectively.
While cough categorization will help in symptom-targeted management approach for productive or nonproductive cough, the majority of cough patients are not yet categorized and are referred to as unspecified cough. This challenge persists irrespective of specialty of the doctors with a direct impact on patient outcomes.
急性咳嗽是一种常见症状，反映了机体的保护性反射，且与许多呼吸系统疾病以外的疾病相关。本研究旨在评估印度现实环境中成年和老年患者急性咳嗽的患病率，包括其分类、相关症状及疾病。
对电子病历（EMR）进行回顾性分析，以评估成年和老年患者急性咳嗽的患病率及临床特征。
在电子病历中有咳嗽症状的2251735例患者中，64.06%为成年人（18 - 65岁），10.39%为老年患者（>65岁）。在有咳嗽症状的成年患者中，无痰咳嗽的比例（16.34%）高于有痰咳嗽（12.62%）。此外，71.04%的成年人咳嗽未分类，标记为未明确的咳嗽。而在老年人群中，有痰咳嗽（18.78%）比无痰咳嗽（14.80%）更常见。66.42%的老年患者咳嗽仍未明确。成年和老年患者中较高比例的人就诊于咨询医师（CP）和全科医生（GP）。呼吸道感染（RTI）是最常相关的疾病，其次是哮喘、支气管炎和其他疾病。发热和感冒是有痰和无痰咳嗽患者的常见症状。本研究强调了成年和老年人群中急性咳嗽的高患病率以及有效管理急性咳嗽的针对性策略的必要性。
虽然咳嗽分类有助于针对有痰或无痰咳嗽进行症状靶向管理，但大多数咳嗽患者尚未分类，被称为未明确的咳嗽。无论医生的专业如何，这一挑战仍然存在，直接影响患者的治疗结果。
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