Study: Allergies, Asthma, and Reflux Top Culprits in Chronic Cough

It may be tough to watch and hear your kids cough, but it's actually a healthy and important reflex that helps clear the airways in the throat and chest. Although many childhood coughs are caused by pesky everyday viruses, persistent coughing may be a sign of something more. And a new study shows that three common conditions, in particular, are probably behind lingering coughs in kids.

Researchers from West Jefferson Medical Center in Louisiana ran extensive tests (including X-rays and lung function tests) on 40 kids with chronic coughs that had lasted for more than 8 weeks.

They found that 90% of the cases were most likely caused by:

• Allergies. An allergy is an overreaction of the immune system to a substance that's harmless to most people. Symptoms can range from minor or major seasonal annoyances (for example, from pollen or certain molds) to year-round problems (from allergens like dust mites or food).
• Asthma. A chronic lung disease that causes airways to become inflamed, asthma affects more than 20 million people in the United States and is the No. 1 reason why kids chronically miss school.
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Reflux, when acid from the stomach refluxes into the esophagus, is very common in infants and sometimes occurs in older children. Doctors diagnose GERD when a child's reflux is causing complications, like irritation of the esophagus, poor weight gain, or breathing problems. In some kids, persistent cough can be a symptom of reflux.

The Scoop on Kids' Coughs

Occasional coughs are often just a common part of childhood and usually aren't a symptom of a serious condition. Common respiratory viruses are often behind many kids' occasional coughs, which means they don't respond to treatment with medications, including antibiotics (unless the doctor suspects a bacterial infection). So, many coughing-related illnesses just need to run their course.

But sometimes a cough that's severe or just won't go away warrants a closer look. Give your doctor a call if your child has:

• a severe cough, especially with:
  
  • blood or lots of mucus
  • a "whooping" sound when breathing after coughing (found with pertussis, or whooping cough)
  • wheezing when exhaling (a common symptom of asthma)
  • stridor when inhaling (a noisy, coarse, almost-musical sound)
• cough or cold symptoms that:
  
  • get worse instead of better after 3 days
  • last for more than a week
  • last for more than a few hours in infants under 3 months old
  • appear at the same time every year
  • seem to be triggered by something (e.g., pollen, dust, animals, certain types of food, etc.)
• difficulty breathing (working hard to breathe or breathing faster than usual)
• a blue or dusky color in the lips, face, or tongue
• a fever of 103° F (39.3° C) or higher; 101° F (38° C) or higher lasting longer than a day; or any fever in a baby 3 months or younger

If your child has a persistent cough, try to give your doctor as many details as possible — what it sounds like, if there are other symptoms, and when it usually happens (at night, during the day, while exercising, after eating certain things, etc.). Be sure to mention if anyone in your family has a history of asthma or allergies.