COUGH IN CHILDREN

Abstract

Cough is a common problem in children. Acute cough lasts less than 3 weeks, subacute 3–8 weeks and chronic cough more than 8 weeks. Acute cough is usually caused by common viral upper respiratory tract infection. However, the child should be thoroughly evaluated to rule out a serious underlying condition or disease responsible for the cough. The commonest cause of subacute cough is a viral infection (postinfectious cough) and it usually resolves spontaneously. If the child is otherwise well and the cough is dry and there are no specific alerts for a serious disease and the cough is resolving, a period of observation is all that is recommended. If there are any specific pointers in history and examination identified for an inhaled foreign body, chronic lung disease, or in a case of progressive cough, immediate investigations are needed. Most chronic coughs in childhood are due to viral infections, but may signify a serious underlying disease too. Chronic cough is subdivided into specific cough (i.e., cough associated with other symptoms and signs suggestive of an associated or underlying problem) and nonspecific cough (i.e., dry cough in the absence of an identifiable respiratory disease of known etiology). To prevent unnecessary investigations and ineffective treatment, and at the same time not to overlook a severe underlying disease, cough guidelines have been designed which are based on evidencebased medicine.