What is it about ?
Cough is not a disease, but rather a symptom. This symptom can refer to a variety of underlying conditions. The frequency and intensity of the cough determine whether the child has a little or a lot of it. Parents’ experiences also play a role, for example when their child also coughs at night, which can be bothersome.
We distinguish between acute cough, prolonged cough and chronic cough. The acute cough lasts less than 4 weeks. We talk about a prolonged cough when it persists for 4 to 8 weeks. And a cough beyond 8 weeks is called chronic. “Isolated nonspecific cough” is a cough without any other symptoms (eg cold, shortness of breath, fever, etc.). Keep in mind that the first 4 weeks of a child’s cough can also mark the onset of a prolonged or chronic cough.
Depending on the duration of the cough, certain causes are more likely. For example, a sharp cough or a cough of short duration (less than 4 weeks) is usually of viral origin. In 90% of cases, this type of cough is completely resolved after 25 days.
A prolonged cough may indicate a long-lasting infection with specific germs, such as, for example, whooping cough. The most common causes of chronic coughing are problems in the nose-throat-ear area, a reflux of stomach acid andasthma ; from disorders characterized by tics, a foreign body in the trachea or structural abnormalities of the airways are rarer.
What is its frequency?
Chronic cough is common in children. Studies in schools show that 5-10% of children have a prolonged cough. If we look at children’s medical records, 10-25% of them experience a prolonged cough period.
How to identify it?
Your child continues to cough for more than 4 weeks. How much he suffers from it depends on the frequency and intensity of the cough. The cough can be dry, but it can also go hand in hand with coughing up mucus. Watch for other symptoms such as fever, runny nose, sore throat, shortness of breath, wheezing. In this case, it is best to consult the general practitioner.
How is the diagnosis made?
In all children who cough for more than 4 weeks, the doctor will try to find the precise origin. Indeed, the probability that it is then a disease requiring treatment increases.
The doctor will ask about the complaints: how long has the child been coughing? When does he cough the most: at night, in cold weather or during exertion? Is the child pushing back or having regurgitation at night? Did the cough start after a respiratory tract infection? Does the child have a fever? Does the breathing sometimes wheeze? Is there asthma or allergies in the family? Has there been contact with contagious diseases, irritants?
Then he will examine the child. First he listens to the heart and lungs, then he examines the nose, throat and ears. In infants, it also checks growth and development by weighing and measuring it.
If the doctor cannot find any explanation for the cough after these tests, further research is needed, such as a blood test, a chest x-ray, and in children over 6 years of age, a lung function test. The lung function test measures the contents of the lungs. A gastrointestinal exam may also be helpful in detecting reflux.
What can you do ?
Prevent your child from coming into contact with irritants such as cigarette smoke. Make sure the air in the house is clean. For children with severe allergies and severe asthma, make sure that as little dust as possible gets into the house; take this into account in the layout of the premises.
What can your doctor do?
The treatment offered by the doctor depends on the diagnosis and the expected effect of the treatment. Thus, the antibiotics are certainly not essential for all infections. Coughing is the body’s natural reflex to get rid of pathogenic germs. In children up to 12 years of age, the use of cough syrups to calm the cough or to facilitate expectoration is not indicated. Inhalers, antiallergic drugs, and dietary supplements have also not been shown to be effective in reducing coughing.
Want to know more?
- Managing cough problems – Grace Network
- When should a child be given medicine? – FAMHP – Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products
- What is an antibiotic – BAPCOC – Belgian Commission for the coordination of antibiotic policy
- Air pollution and health – mongeneraliste.be – SSMG – Scientific Society of General Medicine
- Stop smoking. It’s possible – Tabacstop – Foundation against cancer
Are you looking for more specialized help?
- Smoking Assistance Center (CAF®) – FARES – Respiratory Affections Fund
- Tobacco specialists – FARES – Respiratory Affections Fund