Abstract
Background: Acute respiratory illness, a leading cause of cough in children, accounts for a substantial proportion of childhood morbidity and mortality worldwide. In some children acute cough progresses to chronic cough (>4 weeks duration), impacting on morbidity and decreasing quality of life. Despite the importance of chronic cough as a cause of substantial childhood morbidity and associated economic, family and social costs, data on the prevalence, predictors, aetiology and natural history of the symptom are scarce. This study aims to comprehensively describe the epidemiology, aetiology and outcomes of cough during and after acute respiratory illness in children presenting to a tertiary paediatric emergency department.
Methods/design: A prospective
cohort study of children aged <15 years attending the Royal Children’s
Hospital Emergency Department, Brisbane, for a respiratory illness that
includes parent reported cough (wet or dry) as a symptom. The primary objective
is to determine the prevalence and predictors of chronic cough (≥4 weeks
duration) post presentation with acute respiratory illness. Demographic,
epidemiological, risk factor, microbiological and clinical data are completed
at enrolment. Subjects complete daily cough dairies and weekly follow-up
contacts for 28(±3) days to ascertain cough persistence. Children who continue
to cough for 28 days post enrolment are referred to a paediatric respiratory
physician for review. Primary analysis will be the proportion of children with
persistent cough at day 28(±3). Multivariate analyses will be performed to evaluate
variables independently associated with chronic cough at day 28(±3).
Discussion: Our protocol will be the first to comprehensively describe
the natural history, epidemiology, aetiology and outcomes of cough during and
after acute respiratory illness in children. The results will contribute to
studies leading to the development of evidence-based clinical guidelines to
improve the early detection and management of chronic cough in children during
and after acute respiratory illness.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | 125 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-9 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | BMC Pediatrics |
Volume | 13 |
DOIs |
|
Publication status | Published - 2013 |