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Chronic wet cough in children increasingly signals underlying disorders such as primary ciliary dyskinesia and cystic fibrosis, highlighting the value of early specialist evaluation beyond routine respiratory management.
Children with chronic cough who require referral to tertiary pediatric pulmonology services may have markedly different underlying diseases than those typically seen in primary care, according to a novel retrospective study evaluating the causes of chronic cough over a two-year period.
Persistent cough remains one of the most common reasons for pediatric respiratory referrals, yet its underlying cause often varies across clinical settings. Investigators sought to characterize the etiologies of chronic cough in children attending a tertiary pulmonology center and determine whether cough characteristics could help predict specific diagnoses. Medical records of children presenting with cough lasting more than four weeks were reviewed over a two-year period.
Demographic information, cough phenotype, and diagnostic assessments were analyzed to identify underlying causes and explore associations between symptom patterns and final diagnoses. A total of 62 children with chronic cough were evaluated, and a definitive diagnosis was established in 95.1% of cases. Asthma and reactive airway disease emerged as the most common causes, while primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) and cystic fibrosis (CF) were frequently identified among children presenting with wet cough.
Key findings
Although asthma remains the predominant cause of chronic dry cough, clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for conditions such as PCD and CF in children with persistent wet cough, particularly when symptoms are refractory to conventional management. Hence, children with chronic wet cough who fail to respond to initial treatment must undergo early, comprehensive diagnostic evaluation rather than repeated empirical antibiotic therapy, enabling timely identification and management of potentially serious respiratory diseases.
Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences
Etiologies of chronic cough in children: a two-year experience from a tertiary pediatric pulmonology center
YASİN MARUF ERGEN et al.
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