Psychogenic cough: a diagnosis of exclusion

Cough is the most common respiratory symptom and a common reason for consultation in both primary care and emergency departments, as a result of family concerns. We report an 11-year-old girl who complains of constant cough episode for 4 hours without any rest. After sequential treatment with nebulized salbutamol and budesonide, dexamethasone, codeine, and midazolam, the patient showed transient improvement, with cough disappearing altogether, but 10 minutes later, it started over with the same intensity from the beginning. When she got distracted and talked, the access decreased, starting again when the word "cough" or similar terms were mentioned in front of her. She remained asymptomatic for 2 hours, after which her symptoms began similarly to the initial, coinciding with taking 1 tablet of clarithromycin, so it was decided to start a continuous infusion of midazolam, with the cough disappearing completely after 15 minutes of starting the infusion. One hour after starting the infusion, the child fell asleep. At waking, the cough had disappeared. She continued treatment with oral codeine for 3 days, showing no relapse. It is important to include psychogenic cough in the differential diagnosis of persistent or recurrent chronic cough and asthma that is difficult to control and communicate that diagnostic criteria are based on indicative symptoms (cough access only when awake), with normal radiology, spirometry, and bronchoscopy, to avoid misdiagnosis and inadequate pharmacological actions. Successful treatment is based on recognizing the underlying cause and use of different forms of cognitive-behavioral therapies that aim to break the habit.