Abstract:Objective To investigate the value of exercise challenge testing (ECT) in the diagnosis of cough variant asthma (CVA) in children. Methods A prospective study was conducted on 78 children with chronic cough who were admitted between January 2023 and January 2024. ECT was performed, and clinical data were collected. According to the effect of bronchodilator treatment, the children were divided into a CVA group (44 children) and a non-CVA group (34 children), and the two groups were compared in terms of clinical characteristics, pulmonary function, and ECT results before treatment. Results Compared with the non-CVA group, the CVA group had a significantly higher proportion of boys, a significantly higher proportion of children with exercise-induced chronic cough, a significantly higher level of fractional exhaled nitric oxide, and a significantly greater reduction in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) after ECT (P<0.05). The regression analysis showed that exercise-induced chronic cough and the reduction in FEV1 were risk factors for CVA (P<0.05). A reduction in FEV1 of 8.44% was the optimal cut-off value for ECT in the diagnosis of CVA, with an area under the curve of 0.751 (P<0.05), a sensitivity of 65.9%, and a specificity of 79.4%. For the children with exercise-induced chronic cough, a reduction in FEV1 of 8.44% was the optimal cut-off value for ECT in the diagnosis of CVA, with an area under the curve of 0.810 (P<0.05), a sensitivity of 77.1%, and a specificity of 77.8%. Conclusions ECT has clinical application value in the etiological diagnosis of pediatric chronic cough, with a reduction in FEV1 of 8.44% serving as the optimal cut-off value for diagnosing CVA. It is particularly suitable for children with exercise-induced chronic cough, increasing the sensitivity for CVA diagnosis.
ZHUANG Dong-Lin,FENG Yong,SHANG Yun-Xiao. Value of exercise challenge testing in the diagnosis of cough variant asthma in children[J]. CJCP, 2024, 26(12): 1288-1293.
Marchant JM, Newcombe PA, Juniper EF, et al. What is the burden of chronic cough for families?[J]. Chest, 2008, 134(2): 303-309. PMID: 18641100. DOI: 10.1378/chest.07-2236.
Gao YH, Guan WJ, Xu G, et al. Validation of the Mandarin Chinese version of the Leicester Cough Questionnaire in bronchiectasis[J]. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis, 2014, 18(12): 1431-1437. PMID: 25517807. DOI: 10.5588/ijtld.14.0195.
Manoharan A, Anderson WJ, Lipworth J, et al. Assessment of spirometry and impulse oscillometry in relation to asthma control[J]. Lung, 2015, 193(1): 47-51. PMID: 25516285. DOI: 10.1007/s00408-014-9674-6.
Tian C, Xiong S, Li S, et al. Spirometry in the diagnosis of cough variant asthma in children[J]. Pediatr Pulmonol, 2024, 59(2): 291-299. PMID: 37921541. DOI: 10.1002/ppul.26745.
Stanojevic S, Kaminsky DA, Miller MR, et al. ERS/ATS technical standard on interpretive strategies for routine lung function tests[J]. Eur Respir J, 2022, 60(1): 2101499. PMID: 34949706. DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01499-2021.
Song WJ, Kim HJ, Shim JS, et al. Diagnostic accuracy of fractional exhaled nitric oxide measurement in predicting cough-variant asthma and eosinophilic bronchitis in adults with chronic cough: a systematic review and meta-analysis[J]. J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2017, 140(3): 701-709. PMID: 28088474. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2016.11.037.
Chen LC, Zeng GS, Wu LL, et al. Diagnostic value of FeNO and MMEF for predicting cough variant asthma in chronic cough patients with or without allergic rhinitis[J]. J Asthma, 2021, 58(3): 326-333. PMID: 31820665. DOI: 10.1080/02770903.2019.1694035.
Parsons JP, Hallstrand TS, Mastronarde JG, et al. An official American Thoracic Society clinical practice guideline: exercise-induced bronchoconstriction[J]. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 2013, 187(9): 1016-1027. PMID: 23634861. DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201303-0437ST.
Godfrey S, Springer C, Bar-Yishay E, et al. Cut-off points defining normal and asthmatic bronchial reactivity to exercise and inhalation challenges in children and young adults[J]. Eur Respir J, 1999, 14(3): 659-668. PMID: 10543290. DOI: 10.1034/j.1399-3003.1999.14c28.x.
Pedersen ESL, Ardura-Garcia C, de Jong CCM, et al. Diagnosis in children with exercise-induced respiratory symptoms: a multi-center study[J]. Pediatr Pulmonol, 2021, 56(1): 217-225. PMID: 33079473. DOI: 10.1002/ppul.25126.