Cough is a characteristic symptom of respiratory tract infections. In children, the cough occurs both at the onset of viral, bacterial or allergic diseases and has different characteristics.

Productive cough

Productive cough is a symptom found in bronchial or pulmonary diseases. It is that "fat" cough, with abundant mucus, which children try to eliminate, but due to the fact that they do not have a developed expectoration reflex, they swallow the mucus or, sometimes, vomit it, resulting in that emetic cough. If it is accompanied by fever and/or difficult breathing, the productive cough must be investigated and treated accordingly.

The wheezing cough

Wheezing cough is found in respiratory diseases in which there is a decrease in the caliber of the airways due to inflammation. Air circulates through the airways with a reduced diameter, breathing becomes difficult and is wheezing. Respiratory diseases of viral and allergic causes manifest themselves with this type of cough, the most common being bronchiolitis.

Barking cough

Barking cough is that symptom encountered in acute laryngitis, when the child has a hoarse voice, lack of air, and at the moment of inspiration, a deep noise is heard from the chest. The portion of the neck located above the sternal fork is depressed with each breath. Acute laryngitis is a medical emergency.

Nocturnal cough

The nocturnal cough has a complex character and can be found both in upper respiratory diseases and in other diseases. The most common diseases are rhinitis, hypertrophic adenoiditis (adenoid growths), sinusitis, and the main cause of cough is the mucus that flows from the nose to the throat, in the child's horizontal sleeping position. In other situations, when the child does not have inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, coughing in the sleeping position can be caused by gastro-oesophageal reflux, a condition in which part of the liquid content of the stomach backs up into the esophagus, causing irritation of the mucosa or, in some cases , even its erosion. Coughing at night can also be a symptom of allergic asthma.

Dry cough

Dry or irritating cough can have both infectious and allergic causes. Viral pharyngitis at the onset or fungal infections of the upper respiratory tract can manifest with a dry, irritating cough, the child complaining of stinging when swallowing, itching, discomfort. Dry, irritating cough, sometimes in suffocating attacks, also occurs in some forms of bronchial asthma, when the cough is accentuated by exertion or in the presence of inhalant allergens.

Regardless of the type of cough, a diagnosis must be established and the appropriate treatment instituted. The persistence of this symptom over two weeks is usually the signal of a complication.

Text: Dr. Cristiana Mirica , Primary Pediatrician