Diagnosis and care of cough variant asthma

  Cough variant asthma used to be also known as allergic bronchitis and allergic cough. Cough variant asthma is a specific type of asthma with chronic cough as the main clinical manifestation. In the early stages of asthma onset, about 5-6% of cases have a persistent cough as the main symptom, mostly occurring at night or in the early hours of the morning, often as an irritating cough, when it is often misdiagnosed as bronchitis. The pathophysiological changes in cough variant asthma are the same as in asthma, with a persistent airway inflammatory response and airway hyperresponsiveness. Its prevalence in children ranges from approximately 0.77% to 5.0%. Episodes are seasonal, with winter, spring and autumn being the most common.  Characteristics: 1. The cough is persistent or recurrent for more than a month, often occurring at night or in the early morning with episodes of coughing, aggravated by exercise, and sputum.  2. Laboratory tests or other examinations show no obvious signs of infection or are ineffective after long-term antibiotic treatment.  3. The attack can be reduced with bronchodilators.  4, There is a personal history of allergy i.e. with eczema [2], urticaria, allergic rhinitis, etc., and a family history of allergy can also be found.  5, Exercise, cold air, allergens or viral infections induce asthma attacks.  6. Asthma is seasonal, mostly seen in spring and autumn and recurrent attacks.  7. Chest X-ray shows normal or increased lung texture but no other organic changes.  Children who meet the above characteristics should be diagnosed with cough variant asthma and be prevented and treated according to the principles of asthma prevention and treatment.  Common sense in the care of cough variant asthma: 1. When the seasons change and the temperature changes suddenly, you should add clothes for your child in time, and clothes should be dried and disinfected frequently.  2. Avoid foods that can cause allergic symptoms, such as crabs and shrimps.  3.Don’t keep pets and flowers at home, don’t lay carpets; avoid contact with pollen, dust mites, oil fumes, paint, etc.  4. Do not let children fall asleep holding long fluffy toys.  5.Keep ventilation indoors, especially in children’s bedrooms.  6.Do not use antibiotics casually when the child has a cough.  7.Don’t eat/cold sweets and don’t drink drinks.