Managing chronic wet cough in children: another piece of the puzzle

Abstract

Chronic wet cough is the hallmark of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in older people and bronchiectasis in adults and older children. In young children, the commonest cause of chronic wet cough is protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB) but there are large gaps in our understanding of this high prevalence condition.1 These include the optimal treatment strategy to control symptoms, prevent recurrence, and reduce long-term morbidity. Such issues highlight the inequalities experienced by children with respiratory disease compared with affected adults.