Approach to chronic cough

Chronic cough does affect quality of life in children. Most of the times it is treated with over-the-counter cough syrups and antibiotics. The etiology of chronic cough is so diverse, that treatment needs to be directed to the specific etiology, rather than treating symptomatically. Grossly, chronic cough is classified as specific and non-specific cough. Allergic conditions, followed by tuberculosis are more commonly encountered etiologies in India. Baseline investigations to be performed are chest radiograph and peak flow metry. If specific cause of cough is not obvious, then therapeutic trial with β2 agonist, followed by peak flowmetry to evaluate reversibility of airway hypersensitivity, is useful to label the child asthmatic or non-asthmatic. Rampant uses of antibiotics need to be avoided for conditions like asthma. If tuberculosis is diagnosed or suspected, it is better to treat the child, rather than giving therapeutic trial. Over-the-counter cough syrups are as good as placebo, and should be avoided. Trial of anti asthma, anti allergic rhinitis and anti reflux therapies are avoided, unless the diagnosis is one of these conditions. If the child is distressed or the case seems to be complicated, it is best to refer the child to a tertiary care centre and keep a close follow up.