Prolonged cough in children: a summary of the Belgian primary care clinical guideline.
Prolonged cough is a frequent problem in the community. Several studies in the school setting have found that as many as 4.8% to 10.4% of children suffer from prolonged cough. There is no consensual definition of prolonged cough. In this guideline, we define prolonged cough as a daily cough lasting for more than three weeks. The literature review did not identify any quality study on the aetiology of prolonged cough in children in primary care. A diagnostic decision-tree based on the systematic literature review and expert opinion is proposed. Doctors should seek signs of any serious underlying condition. Chronic productive purulent cough should always be investigated. A careful evaluation of the impact of cough on the quality of life of the child is necessary. In absence of signs of specific underlying illness, coughing is generally a self-limiting condition. Symptomatic treatments have not yet been proven to be effective, and many of them may cause serious side effects. Their use should therefore be limited.
Leconte
Sophie
S
Department of General Practice, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL), Brussels, Belgium. sophie.leconte@uclouvain.be
Paulus
Dominique
D
Degryse
Jan
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000996:Antitussive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001530:Belgium; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003371:Cough / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D003663:Decision Trees; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011320:Primary Health Care
D000996:Antitussive Agents