Red flags and Clues to a child with cough!!! • Cough is a reflex from irritation of receptors placed in the respiratory system • Cough receptors are located at nose, ear, pharynx, larynx, and through out lung tissue What are the causes of cough? • The most common cause of all ages is upper respiratory tract infection ( usually self limited and resolve even with no medicine) • Nasal allergy (allergic rhinitis) • Asthma (allergic reaction of the bronchial tubes that causes narrowing and inflammation of lower airway) • Ear infection (irritation of cough receptor in the ear canal can cause cough) • Ear foreign body • Throat infections • Bronchitis • Bronchiolitis (usually affects very young infants and most commonly cause by a virus called RVS) • Pneumonia • Tuberculosis • Foreign body inhalation • Acid reflux (GERD) • Cystic Fibrosis • Congenital disease of the lung • Cardiac diseases • Tumors and cancers in the chest or from other sites. • Other rare cause for example intestinal parasites when the larvae migrating through the lung (Löfflers syndrome) • Psychogenic cough (more during the day or in front of others, and usually absent at night or while sleep or if not surrounded by others) CLUES TO THE POSSIBLE CAUSES OF COUGH. • Any child coughing more than two weeks with no apparent of cause of the cough must be investigated. • Failure to thrive and chronic cough. Most likely. Cystic fibrosis • Sudden of onset of cough especially in toddlers. Most likely. Foreign body inhalation • Runny, itchy, stuffy nose and cough more in the morning and at night. Most likely Allergic rhinitis • Cough episodes, respond to bronchodilators, positive family history of asthma or skin allergies. Most likely Asthma • History of reflux, or gastritis, cough related to meals is most likely secondary to aspiration or irritation of the larynx by the acids of the stomach • History of travelling to high risk areas of TB or contact to high risk individuals for example “incarcerated”, loss of weight, loss of appetite, night fever and night sweat. Most likely is Tuberculosis.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 05:39:46 +0000
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