POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS AND CLINICAL MEDICATION PATTERNS OF COUGH PATIENTS IN CHINA BASED ON REGIONAL REAL-WORLDDATA
Author(s)
Kun Ji, MD1, Shouan Ren, MD2, Jianhua Chu, MS3, Xiaofang Liu, MS4, Jingya Yi, MD5, Chengming Gu, MD5;
1Dongfang Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China, 2First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Beijing, China, 3Taizhou Data Industry Group Co., Ltd., Taizhou, China, 4Taizhou Data Bureau, Taizhou, China, 5Yangtze River Pharmaceutical Group, Taizhou, China
1Dongfang Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China, 2First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Beijing, China, 3Taizhou Data Industry Group Co., Ltd., Taizhou, China, 4Taizhou Data Bureau, Taizhou, China, 5Yangtze River Pharmaceutical Group, Taizhou, China
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to systematically characterize the population size, clinical visit profiles, and distribution of clinical medication regimens among cough patients using regional real-world data in China.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study using electronic medical record (EMR) data from Taizhou City of East China. Eligible participants were patients diagnosed with cough from January 2024 to June 2025. Descriptive analyses were performed to analyze the frequency and composition ratio of key variables, including core population indicators, cough subtype distribution, treatment regimen selection, and diagnosis types.
RESULTS: A total of 6,748 cough patients were included, with 8,157 valid encounters. In terms of population demographics, patients aged 40-60 years accounted for the largest proportion (64.0%), and female patients predominated (61.1%). Regarding cough subtypes, acute cough was the most prevalent (91.5%), followed by subacute cough (5.2%) and chronic cough (3.3%). For treatment regimens, conventional medicine was the most commonly used (61.3%), followed by integrative traditional Chinese and conventional therapy (26.5%) and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) alone (12.2%). Polytherapy (≥2 medications) was more common than monotherapy (57.7% vs. 42.3%). The most commonly administered regimens were single antibiotic therapy (27.5%) and combination therapy with antibiotics and expectorants (15.6%). The top three primary diagnoses were uncomplicated cough (40.6%), expectoration (20.5%), and sore throat (12.8%).
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides comprehensive real-world evidence of regional East China, revealing acute cough predominance among middle-aged adults and widespread antibiotic polytherapy despite predominantly acute etiologies. These findings offer valuable data to inform the optimization of regional cough management strategies and support the scientific allocation of medical resources.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study using electronic medical record (EMR) data from Taizhou City of East China. Eligible participants were patients diagnosed with cough from January 2024 to June 2025. Descriptive analyses were performed to analyze the frequency and composition ratio of key variables, including core population indicators, cough subtype distribution, treatment regimen selection, and diagnosis types.
RESULTS: A total of 6,748 cough patients were included, with 8,157 valid encounters. In terms of population demographics, patients aged 40-60 years accounted for the largest proportion (64.0%), and female patients predominated (61.1%). Regarding cough subtypes, acute cough was the most prevalent (91.5%), followed by subacute cough (5.2%) and chronic cough (3.3%). For treatment regimens, conventional medicine was the most commonly used (61.3%), followed by integrative traditional Chinese and conventional therapy (26.5%) and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) alone (12.2%). Polytherapy (≥2 medications) was more common than monotherapy (57.7% vs. 42.3%). The most commonly administered regimens were single antibiotic therapy (27.5%) and combination therapy with antibiotics and expectorants (15.6%). The top three primary diagnoses were uncomplicated cough (40.6%), expectoration (20.5%), and sore throat (12.8%).
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides comprehensive real-world evidence of regional East China, revealing acute cough predominance among middle-aged adults and widespread antibiotic polytherapy despite predominantly acute etiologies. These findings offer valuable data to inform the optimization of regional cough management strategies and support the scientific allocation of medical resources.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-05, ISPOR 2026, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue S6
Code
EPH37
Topic
Epidemiology & Public Health
Disease
SDC: Respiratory-Related Disorders (Allergy, Asthma, Smoking, Other Respiratory)