Risk factors contributing to impaired cough-specific quality of life at the time of admission for coronavirus disease 2019 treatment

BACKGROUND: Cough is the most common symptom of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the factors contributing to impaired cough-specific quality of life (QoL) during the acute phase of COVID-19 infection remain unknown. We sought to identify such factors using the Japanese version of acute cough with the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ-acute). METHODS: Three hundred and two patients with COVID-19 admitted to Aichi Hospital between October 2020 and October 2021 completed the LCQ-acute at the time of admission. Clinical indices at the time of admission, such as presenting symptoms including cough, patient characteristics, disease severity, and biomarkers, were reviewed from the medical records. The impact of cough-specific QoL on clinical indices was assessed using two- or three-group comparisons and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine the factors contributing to impaired cough-specific QoL at the time of admission for COVID-19 treatment. RESULTS: Two hundred and nine patients (69.2%) were coughing at the time of admission. Cough prevalence was highest, but cough-specific QoL was lowest at 8–11 days after onset. Multivariate analysis revealed that female sex, young age, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, and dysgeusia and/or dysosmia contributed to impaired cough-specific QoL at the time of admission for COVID-19 treatment, along with systemic and respiratory symptoms such as fever, higher C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, sputum, and dyspnea. CONCLUSIONS: Female sex, young age, asthma, GI symptoms, dysgeusia, and/or dysosmia, along with systemic and respiratory symptoms, indicated impaired cough-specific QoL at the time of admission for COVID-19 treatment.