Chronic cough in children

Abstract

Respiratory symptoms such as cough, wheeze and stridor frequently occur in children and may persist for a long time. Determining the underlying cause of these chronic symptoms can be difficult as they may be due to a series of unrelated respiratory infections occurring in close succession or there may be one discrete underlying infection or condition. A chronic cough can generate anxiety in both children and their carers and ignoring it could lead to diagnostic delay or progression of a serious underlying respiratory disease. Cough guidelines and clinical pathways for a chronic cough in children vary and are not evidence based, so decisions regarding the investigation and treatment of the child with a chronic cough need to be made on an individual basis. This article provides a structured approach to managing the presentation of a chronic cough in children in general practice.