Evaluation of Chronic Cough Etiologies in Children

Abstract

Objective: Cough is one of the leading causes of hospitalization in children worldwide. It should be considered important because it can be a symptom of various serious diseases and affects the quality of life of the child. A differential diagnosis should be performed on all children with a chronic cough. This study aimed to determine the etiologies in patients evaluated for chronic cough. Material and Methods: The study included patients admitted to the pediatric immunology and allergy outpatient clinic, with the complaint of chronic cough between the ages of 0–18 years. Clinical and demographic characteristics of patients were recorded. Results: This study included 323 patients between the ages of 0-18years. The median age of the patients was 7 (interquartile range: 5-9.7) years. One hundred and forty five (45%) of the patients were female. One hundred seventy-nine (55.4%) patients had a family history of atopic diseases such as asthma and/or allergic rhinitis. The presence of aeroallergen sensitivity was demonstrated in 127 patients. One hundred and forty-four (44.6%) patients were diagnosed with asthma, 75 (23.2%) patients with wheezing, 54 (16.7%) patients with post-infectious cough, 43 (13.3%) patients with postnasal drip syndrome, 4 (1.2%) patients with gastroesophageal reflux, 2 (0.6%) patients with foreign body aspiration, and 1 (0.3%) patient with psychogenic cough. Moreover, two patients with asthma, and one patient with wheezing had reflux symptoms in addition to the diagnosis of asthma and wheezing. One patient was found to have a partial IgA deficiency, and 18 patients had hypogammaglobulinemia. Immunoglobulin replacement therapy was initiated for a patient with hypogammaglobulinemia. Of the 219 patients diagnosed with asthma or wheezing, 144 had an atopic disease in the family (p<0.001). It was found that one hundred and eighty-five patients (57.3%) had domestic smoke exposure. Furthermore, smoke exposure was observed in 58 (77.3%) of 75 patients under the age of 6 years who were followed up with the diagnosis of wheezing (p= 0.010). Conclusion: In our study, asthma, which is one of the most common causes of chronic cough in the literature, was found to be the most common cause. For a correct approach when making a differential diagnosis in pediatric patients presenting with chronic cough, the patient’s history, physical examination, laboratory tests, and risk factors should be evaluated as a whole with systematic evaluation.