The causes of paediatric chronic cough are complex and if the cause is unknown, blind treatment may have poor results, so the first thing to do is to make a clear diagnosis. An accurate etiological diagnosis is the basis for rational treatment.
Common causes of chronic cough in children include: cough variant asthma, upper airway cough syndrome, post (respiratory) infection cough, gastro-oesophageal reflux cough and cardiac cough.
The main causes of atopic cough are: congenital respiratory disease, foreign body aspiration, respiratory infections caused by specific pathogens, etc.
Doctors will clarify the cause based on the child’s medical history, physical examination, combined with the results of relevant ancillary tests (e.g. routine blood, chest X-ray, mycoplasma antibodies, allergens, fibreoptic bronchoscopy, etc.) and, if necessary, diagnostic treatment for some children, etc.