Table 5.
First-line treatment indicated by pediatricians for chronic cough, stratified according to the different Italian areas, and the causes of chronic cough
| First line treatments | Overall Italy (n=300) | Italian areas
|
Causes of chronic cough
|
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern (n=90) | Central (n=66) | Southern (n=144) | Allergic rhinitis/asthma (n=160) | Viral Infections (n=12) | URTIs (n=62) | LRTIs (n=33) | Bacterial infections (n=9) | Gastroesophageal reflux (n=16) | Others (n=8) | ||
| None | 12 (4.0%) | 2 (2.2%), p=0.174 | 4 (6.1%), p=0.137 | 6 (4.2%), p=0.989 | 6 (3.8%), p=0.668 | 0, p=0.999 | 2 (3.2%), p=0.788 | 0, p=0.571 | 0, p=0.968 | 0, p=0.686 | 4 (50.0%), p=0.575 |
| Aerosol therapy | 114 (38.0%) | 31 (34.4%), p=0.472 | 19 (28.8%), p=0.834 | 64 (44.4%), p=0.283 | 98 (61.3%), p<0.001 | 0, p=0.307 | 8 (12.9%), p=0.616 | 6 (18.2%), p=0.169 | 0, p=0.328 | 2 (12.5%), p=0.986 | 0, p=0.669 |
| Oral corticosteroids | 9 (3.0%) | 3 (3.3%), p=0.871 | 1 (1.5%), p=0.699 | 5 (3.5%), p=0.725 | 4 (2.5%), p=0.353 | 2 (16.7%), p=0.069 | 2 (3.2%), p=0.801 | 1 (3.0%), p=0.877 | 0, p=0.801 | 0, p=0.478 | 0, p=0.778 |
| Symptomatics | 12 (4.0%) | 2 (2.2%), p=0.282 | 2 (3.0%), p=0.825 | 8 (5.6%), p=0.288 | 4 (2.5%), p=0.388 | 0, p=0.784 | 6 (9.7%), p=0.122 | 0, p=0.395 | 0, p=0.816 | 2 (12.5%), p=0.219 | 0, p=0.766 |
| Antibiotics | 125 (41.7%) | 38 (42.2%), p=0.451 | 36 (54.5%), p=0.094 | 51 (35.4%), p=0.183 | 38 (23.8%), p=0.385 | 10 (83.3%), p=0.131 | 42 (67.7%), p=0.036 | 24 (72.7%), p=0.024 | 7 (77.8%), p=0.360 | 2 (12.5%), p=0.067 | 2 (25.0%), p=0.157 |
| Homeopathic/herbal remedies | 10 (3.3%) | 8 (8.9%), p=0.010 | 0, p=0.250 | 2 (1.4%), p=0.572 | 2 (1.3%), p=0.076 | 0, p=0.776 | 2 (3.2%), p=0.814 | 2 (6.1%), p=0.337 | 2 (22.2%), p=0.057 | 0, p=0.484 | 2 (25.0%), p=0.771 |
| Gastroprotectants | 18 (6.0%) | 6 (6.7%), p=0.926 | 4 (6.1%), p=0.631 | 8 (5.6%), p=0.626 | 8 (5.0%), p=0.618 | 0, p=0.833 | 0, p=0.133 | 0, p=0.435 | 0, p=0.865 | 10 (62.5%), p<0.001 | 0, p=0.722 |
| Overall p-valuea | – | p=0.025 | p<0.001 | ||||||||
Notes: p-values compare the frequency within each area versus the total frequency observed in Italy (hierarchical log-linear model).
a
Pearson’s chi-square test.
Abbreviations: LRTIs, lower respiratory tract infections; URTIs, upper respiratory tract infections.