JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Few studies have described the cough profile of COVID-19

Objective:

We investigated the prevalence, severity and associated risk factors of cough in individuals during the latest wave of Omicron in China.

Methods:

In this nationwide cross-sectional study, we collected characteristics of cough from individuals with Omicron variant infection using an online questionnaire between 31/12/2022 and 11/01/2023.

Results:

There were 11718 (68.1% female) non-hospitalized responders, who were 37 (IQR: 30-47) years old, at 16 (IQR: 12-20) days from infection onset to time of survey. Cough was the most common symptom (91.7%), followed by fever, fatigue and nasal congestion (68.8-87.4%). Cough visual analogue scale (VAS) was 70 (IQR: 50-80) mm. Being female (OR:1.31, 95%CI:1.20-1.43), having vaccination history (OR:1.71, 95%CI:1.37-2.12), current smoking (OR:0.48, 95%CI:0.41-0.58), chronic cough (OR:2.04, 95%CI:1.69-2.45), coronary heart disease (OR1.71, 95%CI:1.17-2.52), asthma (OR:1.22, 95%CI:1.02-1.46), hypertension and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) were independent factors for severe cough (VAS>70, 37.4%). There were 35.0% individuals with productive cough, the risk factors included being female (OR:1.44, 95%CI:1.31-1.57), having asthma (OR:1.84, 95%CI:1.52-2.22), chronic cough (OR:1.44, 95%CI:1.19-1.74) and GERD (OR:1.22, 95%CI:1.01-1.47). Persistent cough (>3 weeks) occurred in 13.0% among individuals with duration more than 3 weeks, having had diabetes (OR: 2.24, 95%CI: 1.30-3.85), asthma (OR: 1.70, 95%CI: 1.11-2.62), and chronic cough (OR: 1.97, 95%CI: 1.32-2.94) were risk factors.

Conclusions:

Cough is the most common symptom in non-hospitalized individuals with Omicron infection. Being female, having asthma, chronic cough, GERD, coronary heart disease, diabetes and vaccination history are independent factors associated with severe cough, productive cough and persistent cough.