Key result
Captopril links to cough in ~15% of children but rarely requires medication changes.
Why the study?
Anecdotally, captopril-induced cough is not thought to occur in children as frequently as in adults, despite ACE inhibitors being commonly prescribed in children.
Does captopril cause clinically significant cough in pediatric cardiology patients?
Does captopril cause clinically significant cough in pediatric cardiology patients?
Captopril-induced cough occurs in 15% of pediatric cardiology patients but is generally well-tolerated and rarely necessitates a change in management.
Cough rarely necessitated discontinuation in children; hypothesis-generating for lower incidence than adults, needing prospective confirmation.
Introduction: ACE inhibitors are commonly prescribed in children. Anecdotally, captopril- induced cough is not thought to occur in children as frequently as in adults. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study in 100 paediatric cardiology patients taking regular ACE inhibitors (ACE-I). Telephone interviews and questionnaires were used to ask patients and their families about their experience of ACE-I–related cough symptoms. Results: Of the 100 patients, 15% reported symptoms of captopril-related cough. Only 1% required a change in medication due to their cough. Discussion: Captopril-related cough appears to be less significant in children than in adult populations. The reason for this is unclear, but it may be related to differences in ACE expression between adult and paediatric lungs. Conclusion: The results suggest that cough associated with ACE-I use may be more prevalent in children than previously thought; however, it is generally well tolerated and rarely necessitates a change in management.
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Coffey et al. (2026) studied this question. In a cohort of 100 children on captopril, 15% reported cough symptoms, but only 1% required a change in medication due to the cough.
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