Etiological composition and clinical features of 416 children with chronic cough in Xuzhou: a retrospective analysis

Objective To investigate the etiological composition and clinical features of chronic cough in children of Xuzhou. Methods A total of 416 children with chronic cough who were admitted to Xuzhou Children's Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University from January 2020 to December 2020 were selected and their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Results The etiological distribution of 416 children was listed as follows. There were 216 cases (51.9%) of upper airway cough syndrome (UACS), 101 cases (24.3%) of cough variant asthma (CVA), 76 cases (18.3%) of post-infection cough (PIC), in which 365 cases (87.7%) of chronic cough caused by single etiology and 51 cases (12.3%) by mixed etiology. There were statistically differences in the etiological composition of chronic cough among different age groups (the infant group, the preschool group, and school-age group), different seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter), different cough properties (wet and dry cough), and different cough phases (morning cough, daily cough, and night cough) (P<0.01). Conclusions The top three causes of chronic cough in children of Xuzhou are UACS, CVA and PIC. There are statistical differences in the etiological composition of chronic cough in children at different age stages and cough phases, in different seasons, and with different cough properties.