Effect of N-acetylcysteine aerosol inhalation on serum levels of inflammatory factors and immune function in children with upper airway cough syndrome

Purpose: To investigate the influence of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) aerosol inhalation on serum inflammatory factors and immune function in children with upper airway cough syndrome (UACS). Methods: 118 children with UACS who were on admission at Wenzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, China between September 2021 and February 2023, were enrolled in the study. They were assigned to control and study cohorts, with 59 patients per group. Control group received routine treatment (3 mL of normal saline via nebulized inhalation 2 times/day), while the study group received 3 mL of NAC aerosol inhalation via nebulized inhalation 2 times/day. Both groups were treated for 2 weeks. Thereafter, the two groups were compared with respect to total treatment effectiveness, cough symptom and Lund-Kennedy ratings, levels of inflammatory factors (interleukin-13 (IL-13), interleukin-27 (IL-27), C-reactive protein (CPR)) and concentrations of immune function indices (CD3 + , CD4 + and CD8 + ) before and after treatment, and adverse reactions. Results: Treatment effectiveness (efficacy) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in study cohort than in control cohort (89.83 vs 71.19 %). The 2 cohorts had significant reductions in scores on cough symptoms and Lund-Kennedy, with smaller values in study cohort. In both groups, the levels of IL-13 and CPR were decreased, while IL-27 level was increased. Levels of IL-13 and CPR in study group were significantly lower than those in control group, while IL-27 level was significantly higher than that in control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: N-acetylcysteine aerosol inhalation enhances curative effect, relieves clinical symptoms, reduces inflammation, and improves immunity in UACS children, and shows good degree of safety. However, its long-term efficacy needs to be studied.