Navigating the challenges of parenting can often feel overwhelming, especially when it comes to your child’s health. For instance, if your little one starts exhibiting a cough while running around McMahon Playground, it can feel easy to worry. Understanding childhood coughing, and when it is minor or a sign of something more serious, can significantly ease your concerns and allow you to enjoy your time together.
What Causes Coughing?
Coughing serves as a protective reflex to clear or soothe the airways. An occasional cough is typically your child’s way of clearing irritants. However, if a cough persists for more than a week, produces colored mucus or is accompanied by symptoms like fever or wheezing, it’s time to consult a healthcare provider.
Acute Verses Chronic Coughing
A cough is acute if it lasts less than three weeks and chronic if it lasts longer than four weeks (eight for adults). Some common causes of an acute cough include cold, flu, sinus infections, acute bronchitis, whooping cough, pneumonia, asthma or allergies.
Possible reasons for chronic cough include chronic bronchitis, asthma or allergies, persistent lung or heart conditions, acid reflux, postnasal drip and disorders of the throat or vocal cords.
In addition to acute and chronic coughing, irritants like smoke, strong smells, pollen, pet dander, dust, mold and mucus can cause short coughing bursts. When external irritants cause coughing, the symptoms will usually subside once your child is no longer exposed to the substance.
Managing Your Child’s Cough
Coughing is the most common symptom seen in primary care. If your child’s cough persists for over a week, your healthcare provider will determine treatment based on the underlying cause, such as prescribing antibiotics for infections or recommending allergy medication and avoidance strategies for allergies.
You can support your child at home with a few remedies, including water or fruit juice, warm baths, humidifiers, popsicles or cough drops to help soothe their sore throat.
While worrying when your child coughs is natural, remember that our ENT specialists are here to help. Contact Charleston ENT & Allergy to schedule an appointment with our specialists for diagnosis and treatment.