TRIO Best Practice articles are brief, structured reviews designed to provide the busy clinician with a handy outline and reference for day-to-day clinical decision making. The ENTtoday summaries below include the Background and Best Practice sections of the original article. To view the complete Laryngoscope articles free of charge, visit Laryngoscope.com.
Background
Chronic cough (CC), cough lasting longer than four weeks, affects 5% to 10% of children and requires systematic evaluation. Although CC in children is quite common, evidence regarding management options in the pediatric population is surprisingly limited. The salient literature regarding what is known about management of CC in children will be presented.
Best Practice
Evidence regarding management of CC in children is very limited. The only treatments that have been clearly shown to be effective are antibiotics for wet CC and inhaled steroids for dry CC. Only honey has been shown to be effective for symptomatic relief. Use of over-the-counter medications is not supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics or the American College of Chest Physicians. Treatment for GERD, and treatment with anticholinergics, antihistamines, inhaled cromones, leukotriene receptor antagonist, inhaled corticosteroids, beta-2 agonists, and methylxanthines showed no benefit. Lastly, if there is failure to resolve CC, early pulmonary consultation is recommended (Laryngoscope. 2016;126:1963–1964)
Management options for chronic cough in children.
© 2016 The american laryngological, rhinological and otological society inc.