title: What is chronic cough in children?
abstract: The cough reflex is modulated throughout growth and development. Cough-but not expiration reflex-appears to be absent at birth, but increases with maturation. Thus, acute cough is the most frequent respiratory symptom during the first few years of life. Later on, the pubertal development seems to play a significant role in changing of the cough threshold during childhood and adolescence resulting in sex-related differences in cough reflex sensitivity in adulthood. Asthma is the major cause of chronic cough in children. Prolonged acute cough is usually related to the long-lasting effects of a previous viral airway infection or to the particular entity called protracted bacterial bronchitis. Cough pointers and type may orient toward specific etiologies, such as barking cough in croup or tracheomalacia, paroxystic whooping cough in Pertussis. Cough is productive in protracted bacterial bronchitis, sinusitis or bronchiectasis. Cough is usually associated with wheeze or dyspnea on exertion in asthma; however, it may be the sole symptom in cough variant asthma. Thus, pediatric cough has particularities differentiating it from adult cough, so the approach and management should be developmentally specific.
authors.affiliation: Service D'explorations Fonctionnelles Pédiatriques, Hôpital D'enfants Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nancy, Vandoeuvre les Nancy, France.
authors.forename: Iulia
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ioan
authors.affiliation: Service Des Examens de la Fonction Respiratoire et de L'aptitude à L'exercice Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nancy, Vandoeuvre les Nancy, France ; EA 3450 DevAH - Laboratoire de Physiologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université Lorraine Vandoeuvre, France.
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Poussel
authors.affiliation: EA 3450 DevAH - Laboratoire de Physiologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université Lorraine Vandoeuvre, France.
authors.forename: Laurianne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Coutier
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University Martin, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Plevkova
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Biophysics, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University Martin, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Poliacek
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida Gainesville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Donald C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Bolser
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida Gainesville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Paul W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Davenport
authors.affiliation: Service de Médecine Infantile et de Génétique Clinique, Hôpital D'enfants Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France.
authors.forename: Jocelyne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Derelle
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University Martin, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hanacek
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University Martin, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Milos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tatar
authors.affiliation: Service D'explorations Fonctionnelles Pédiatriques, Hôpital D'enfants Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nancy, Vandoeuvre les Nancy, France ; EA 3450 DevAH - Laboratoire de Physiologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université Lorraine Vandoeuvre, France.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marchal
authors.affiliation: Service D'explorations Fonctionnelles Pédiatriques, Hôpital D'enfants Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nancy, Vandoeuvre les Nancy, France ; EA 3450 DevAH - Laboratoire de Physiologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université Lorraine Vandoeuvre, France ; Service de Médecine Infantile et de Génétique Clinique, Hôpital D'enfants Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France.
authors.forename: Cyril
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schweitzer
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Florence Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.affiliation: Service D'explorations Fonctionnelles Pédiatriques, Hôpital D'enfants Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nancy, Vandoeuvre les Nancy, France ; EA 3450 DevAH - Laboratoire de Physiologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université Lorraine Vandoeuvre, France.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Varechova
keywords: asthma; child; development; gastro-esophageal reflux; newborn; plasticity of cough reflex; protracted bacterial bronchitis; urge to cough and respiratory sensations