Gender Differences in Antitussive Prescriptions for Chronic Cough in Korea

Background: We investigated the differences in the characteristics and prognoses between the sexes of patients with chronic cough who were prescribed antitussive agents, using a Korean population-based database. Methods: Claims data from South Korea’s Health Insurance Review and Assessment (HIRA) service were analyzed. This retrospective observational cohort study considered chronic cough patients aged 18 years and older who were consistently prescribed antitussive agents for more than 2 months between 1 January 2017 and 30 June 2019. Results: Among the 207,989 patients treated for chronic cough, the prevalence of unexplained cough was higher in women (men: 6.2% vs. women: 9.7%) and the prevalence of persistent cough was higher in men (men: 16.8% vs. women: 14.3%). The gap in the proportion of COPD, lung cancer, ILD, GERD, and TB between women and men were largest around the age range of 60–70 years. With the exception of those in their 60s and 70s, women were more likely to have chronic cough and persistent cough than men. Women were more likely to discontinue medication after treatment completion than men. Only 53.9% of patients discontinued cough medication for more than 6 months after treatment completion. Within 12 and 18 months, respectively, 8.9% and 11.9% of them revisited the hospital for chronic cough. Via Cox regression analysis, an age in the 60s or 70s and explained cough were independently associated with a higher risk of revisit for treatment. Conclusions: Among patients treated for chronic cough, there were distinct differences in cough characteristics and prescription status between men and women. Our data highlight the need for a new personalized treatment approach to chronic cough, taking into account the gender, age, and underlying diseases of patients. Further research is needed to determine whether appropriate underlying disease control and gender-specific treatment are effective for managing chronic cough.