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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: [...]

Purpose Blood (EOS-B) and sputum (EOS-S) eosinophil counts may contribute differently to asthma pathogenesis. We compared the impact of the baseline EOS-B and EOS-S levels on lung function, asthma control, and exacerbation in Korean asthma patients. Methods Asthma patients with baseline EOS-B (n = 4257) and EOS-S (n = 1049) levels from a multicenter cohort (COREA) were included. Pulmonary function test (%FEV1 predicted), asthma control test (ACT), and asthma exacerbation incidence were followed-up every 3 months for one year. Linear mixed-effect models and survival analyses were used to examine the association between eosinophilic groups defined by EOS-B or EOS-S and outcomes. Results High eosinophilic groups were associated with a low baseline value and a high improvement in the %FEV1 predicted and ACT scores over time. The magnitude of group difference in %FEV1 predicted was twofold higher in the EOS-S versus EOS-B classification [mean and 95% CI: 4.7 (0.6-8.8) versus 2.0 (0.2-3.7) for the baseline value and - 1.5 (- 2.3 to - 0.8) versus - 0.8(- 1.1 to -0.4) for the slope of change], whereas it was identical in ACT score. The magnitude of the impact increased linearly with the elevation of the cut-off level for the EOS-B but remained stable for the EOS-S classification. Patients with an elevation of both their EOS-B and EOS-S showed a higher increment in the %FEV1 predicted and ACT over time. Neither the EOS-B nor EOS-S was associated with asthma exacerbation. Conclusion EOS-S and EOS-B contribute differently to the clinical outcomes and should be taken into account independently to improve asthma care., Author(s): Duong Duc Pham [sup.1], Ji-Hyang Lee [sup.1], Ju-Young Kim [sup.2], Jin An [sup.3], Woo-Jung Song [sup.1], Hyouk-Soo Kwon [sup.1], You Sook Cho [sup.1], Tae-Bum Kim [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) [...]

Purpose Routinely collected data (RCD) from electronic health records (EHR) are useful for studying disease epidemiology in the real world. We examined cough presentation and cough-related healthcare utilization using an academic institutional EHR database in Korea. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, patients with subacute (3-8 weeks) or chronic cough (> 8 weeks in duration) referred to allergy and asthma clinics were studied. Cases were identified using the search term 'cough' or 'coughing,' which is the chief complaint, in the data fields. Structured data, including demographics, medical history, symptoms, and diagnostic tests, were analyzed. Healthcare utilization was assessed for drug prescriptions, additional tests, or outpatient visits for 1 year. Results Cough was the chief complaint in 13,223 cases (46.7%) among 28,312 new referrals for 8 years. A total of 3810 subacute and 7150 chronic cough patients were analyzed. The common demographic profile was middle-aged woman (mean age 52.1 years), reported in 63% of the cases. Cough was frequently accompanied by anterior nasal (about 50%), lower airway (30%), or acid reflux disease symptoms (20%), and by test abnormalities in chest X-rays (14%), spirometry (23%), or T2 inflammation markers (40%). Chronic cough patients frequently required additional tests (chest CT scan: 24%), drug prescriptions (codeine: 21.5% and oral steroids: 9.9%), and long-term healthcare utilization (16.0%) for 1 year. Conclusions Cough is a common chief complaint at allergy and asthma clinics, but the clinical presentation may be heterogeneous. Further studies are needed to understand long-term outcomes and reduce the disease burden., Author(s): Jin An [sup.1] [sup.2], Ji-Hyang Lee [sup.1], Ha-Kyeong Won [sup.1] [sup.3], Yewon Kang [sup.1] [sup.4], Hyouk-Soo Kwon [sup.1], Jae-Seung Lee [sup.5], Sei Won Lee [sup.5], Tae-Bum Kim [sup.1], Yeon-Mok [...]

This article discusses a study that aimed to classify the progression of asthma by analyzing longitudinal data on lung function, eosinophilic status, and steroid use. The study utilized electronic medical record data from 350 adults with asthma over a 5-year period. The researchers identified six clusters based on the trajectories of these factors and found significant differences in exacerbation risk among the clusters. The study suggests that this multi-trajectory analysis may be a useful method for studying the complex progression of asthma over time. [Extracted from the article]