Coughing in children is the most important reason that makes one consult a doctor. If the duration of cough is up to 15 days, then it is called a strong cough, and if more than 30 days, then it is chronic. It is reported that the frequency of illness is 10% in children aged 5-11 years and in 22% of preschool children.
Coughing up to 15 days, which is connected to another property or relayed findings and upper respiratory tract infections. Between fifteen-thirty days the child should be re-evaluated. If there is no evidence of a serious illness, it is usually considered an extended cough due to an upper respiratory infection. However, if the cough lasts for 30 days, it is now chronic and must be evaluated by a specialist in childhood allergy and / or childhood chest diseases experienced in this regard.
There are many diseases that cause chronic cough in children. For this reason, a detailed history should be considered and studied. Then, laboratory studies should be conducted in accordance with the findings.
The age of the child, the nature of the cough, the time and frequency of the cough, the presence of another cough accompanying, the family history of the illness, past treatment methods should be asked.
The most important problem in a child with a chronic cough is the evaluation of asthma. It is characterized by asthma, coughing, shortness of breath, dyspnea and constriction in the chest. Dry Cough, cough at night, cough during sports indicates asthma. It is important that there is either a your history or a family history. In physical examination, there may be other allergic diseases, such as allergic eczema and allergic rhinitis. In laboratory tests, allergies were tested in the patient for allergens by taking blood and skin test, at the appropriate age, a breath sensitivity test is performed and the response to asthma treatment provides a correct diagnosis of asthma. In some children, chronic cough may be the only detection of asthma without shortness of breath. But this case is less common in children than in adults.
Another important cause of chronic coughing in children is the discharge from the nose, though not as much as in adults. Nasal allergy, sinusitis, medications and environmental irritants can cause this. These patients have coughing, throat discharge, irritation, need for throat cleansing, nasal obstruction or discharge. Patients sometimes complain of hoarseness. However, little children can not be informed that it is a stream that is choked from behind the nose, and sometimes these diseases can cause cough without discharge.
Another cause of chronic cough in children is reflux disease, which is defined as nutritional transmission for eating from the stomach, although it is less common than those mentioned above. Unlike adults, it causes respiratory symptoms in children. The most important finding is chronic cough. For this reason, children with chronic cough must also be evaluated for reflux.
As a result, chronic cough is a common condition in children. Important diseases can lie beneath. For this reason, patients should be evaluated by experienced physicians in this regard, and accordingly, the examination and monitoring should be done accordingly.
