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Purpose The Korean Chronic Cough Registry study was initiated to characterize patients with chronic cough (CC) and investigate their outcomes in real-world clinical practice. This report aims to describe the baseline cohort profile and study protocols. Methods This multicenter, prospective observational cohort study included newly referred CC patients and those already being treated for refractory or unexplained chronic cough (RUCC). Cough status was assessed using a visual analog scale, the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ), and the Cough Hypersensitivity Questionnaire (CHQ). Results A total of 610 patients (66.9% women; median age 59.0 years) were recruited from 18 centers, with 176 being RUCC patients (28.9%). The median age at CC onset was 50.1 years, and 94.4% had adult-onset CC ([greater than or equal to] 19 years). The median cough duration was 4 years. Compared to newly referred CC patients, RUCC patients had a longer cough duration (6.0 years vs. 3.0 years) but had fewer symptoms and signs suggesting asthma, rhinosinusitis, or gastroesophageal acid reflux disease. Subjects with RUCC had lower LCQ scores (10.3 ± 3.3 vs. 11.6 ± 3.6; P < 0.001) and higher CHQ scores (9.1 ± 3.9 vs. 8.4 ± 4.1; P = 0.024). There were no marked differences in the characteristics of cough between refractory chronic cough and unexplained chronic cough. Conclusions Chronic cough typically develops in adulthood, lasting for years. Cough severity and quality of life impairment indicate the presence of unmet clinical needs and insufficient cough control in real-world clinical practice. Longitudinal follow-up is warranted to investigate the natural history and treatment outcomes., Author(s): Eun-Jung Jo [sup.1], Ji-Hyang Lee [sup.2], Ha-Kyeong Won [sup.3], Noeul Kang [sup.4], Sung-Yoon Kang [sup.5], Seung Eun Lee [sup.1] [sup.6], Ji-Ho Lee [sup.7], Mi-Yeong Kim [sup.8], Ji-Su Shim [sup.9], [...]

This prospective observational study examined whether Staphylococcus aureus (SA) nasal colonization and staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE)-specific IgE sensitization synergistically affect clinical outcomes of adults with late-onset asthma (onset age [greater than or equal to] 40 years). Nasal swabs were taken to evaluate SA colonization. Serum SE-IgE level was measured. Subjects were classified into 4 groups according to SA colonization and SE-IgE sensitization positivity. Among 181 patients with late-onset asthma recruited, the proportions of SA/SE (â/â), SA/SE (+ /â), SA/SE (â/ +), and SA/SE (+ / +) were 33.7%, 15.5%, 28.2%, and 22.6%, respectively. Severe asthma was more frequent in the SA/SE (+ / +) group than in the SA/SE (â/â) group (41.5% vs. 13.1%). The relationship of SA/SE (+ / +) with severe asthma was significant in multivariate logistic regression (vs. SA/SE (â/â); adjusted odds ratio: 4.36; 95% confidence intervals: 1.50â12.73; p = 0.007), whereas SA/SE (+ /â) or SA/SE (â/ +) was not. In conclusion, SA nasal colonization and SE-IgE sensitization may synergistically affect disease severity in late-onset asthmatics., Author(s): Ha-Kyeong Won [sup.1], Youngsang Yoo [sup.2], Jiwon Lee [sup.3], Noeul Kang [sup.4], Ji-Hyang Lee [sup.5], Jun-Pyo Choi [sup.6], Tae-Bum Kim [sup.5], Sang-Heon Cho [sup.7], Woo-Jung Song [sup.5] Author Affiliations: [...]

Background Adjunctive lung resection is recommended for select patients with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) pulmonary disease (PD). However, data are limited on long-term recurrence rates in patients infected with major pathogens, including Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and Mycobacterium abscessus (MABC). Methods In this prospective observational study, we retrospectively analyzed data from 125 patients with MAC-PD (n = 90) or MABC-PD (n = 35) who underwent adjunctive lung resection. We evaluated microbiological response, postoperative complications, recurrence, and all-cause mortality over a median 80-month follow-up. Results Persistent culture positivity (64%) was the most common indication for surgery, followed by hemoptysis, recurrent pneumonia, or radiologic deterioration. Postoperative complications occurred in 18 (14%) patients, with no surgery-related deaths. Treatment outcomes did not significantly differ between the MAC- and MABC-PD groups. Cure with culture conversion was achieved in 112 (90%) patients. Recurrence occurred in 37 (33%) of 112 patients, of which 18 (49%) cases were attributed to reinfection by different NTM species or subspecies. The MAC group had higher recurrence rates than the MABC group (Kaplan-Meier curve, log-rank test, P =.043) and was significantly associated with recurrence in the multivariable analysis (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.71; 95% CI, 1.23–5.99). However, mortality was higher in the MABC-PD group than the MAC-PD group (7/35 vs 4/90, P =.006). Conclusions Adjunctive lung resection with antibiotics helps to reduce bacterial burden and manage symptoms in patients with NTM-PD. However, it does not prevent recurrence, which is mostly caused by reinfection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the prevalence of severe asthma in South Korea and the challenges associated with oral corticosteroid (OCS) use for managing severe asthma. The Korean Severe Asthma Registry (KoSAR) provides valuable insights into patients with severe asthma in Korea, highlighting the need for OCS stewardship to minimize risks associated with long-term OCS use. The implementation of OCS stewardship involves strategies such as biologics as alternatives to OCS, stepwise OCS tapering protocols, and multidisciplinary collaboration among healthcare providers. By adopting these approaches, the management of severe asthma in South Korea can be improved, leading to better patient outcomes and quality of life. [Extracted from the article]

Rationale: Because the prognosis of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease varies, a scoring system predicting mortality is needed.Objectives: We aimed to develop a novel scoring system to predict mortality among patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease.Methods: We included patients age ≥20 years with newly diagnosed nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease, with Mycobacterium avium, M. intracellulare, M. abscessus subsp. abscessus, or M. abscessus subsp. massiliense. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify predictors of mortality in a derivation cohort, and a scoring system was developed. It was validated in an independent prospective cohort.Measurements and Main Results: A total 1,181 and 377 patients were included in the derivation and validation cohorts, respectively. In the final model, body mass index <18.5 kg/m2 (1 point), age ≥65 years (1 point), presence of cavity (1 point), elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (1 point), and male sex (1 point) were selected as predictors for mortality. We named this novel scoring system BACES (body mass index, age, cavity, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and sex). Harrell's C-index for the BACES score was 0.812 (95% confidence interval, 0.786-0.837) in the derivation cohort and 0.854 (95% confidence interval, 0.797-0.911) in the validation cohort, indicating excellent discrimination performance. The estimated 5-year risk of mortality was 1.2% with BACES score 0 and 82.9% with BACES score 5.Conclusions: We developed the BACES score, which could accurately predict mortality among patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease caused by M. avium, M. intracellulare, M. abscessus subsp. abscessus, or M. abscessus subsp. massiliense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]