DEAR DOCTOR,

My four-year-old has a very persistent cough. I gave her a cough syrup recommended by the pharmacy and it is now all used up. I got worried and even had her tested for Covid but it was negative. I am now giving her honey with garlic as recommended by a friend but nothing seems to work. She has been coughing for over two months now, it is not dry and she says there is no pain but why won’t it go away? What other treatment can you recommend?

LILLIAN

DEAR LILLIAN, 

Does your child have other problems with cough like fever, loss of appetite, listlessness, e.t.c.? Is the cough dry or she brings up phlegm regularly.

As for any other problem, cure of cough also lies in curing the underlying cause. In dry weather, a small child can have cough due to irritation of the throat induced by dryness. Drinking inadequate amount of fluids, use of room heaters, are some other factors which augment the dryness, hence irritation.  This can be corrected by giving the child enough fluids to drink. Fluids can be in form of milk, fresh fruit juices, water, but avoid sodas and artificial fruit juices. Giving her hot water or milk, 2 to 3 times per day would be useful. Use of humidifiers inside the room is also helpful.

A child can have persistent cough due to passive smoking as well, i.e. exposure to  smoke when someone is smoking close to her. The airways and lungs of a small child are very delicate and in developmental stage. Hence exposure to even small amounts of cigarette smoke can irritate the lungs much, inducing cough. Never smoke in the vicinity of your child and do not allow anyone else to do it.

As a small child has a weak immune system, she is vulnerable to develop infections on even  slight exposure to germs Infection can be bacterial, viral or even mycobacterial, i.e. tuberculosis.. An adult,  who is coughing in proximity  can infect a child easily. In play groups and nursery classes, where children are in groups,  they  tend to contaminate one another. Apart from cough, infection will produce other symptoms like listlessness, fever, poor feeding, e.t.c. Relevant laboratory tests can detect the presence and type of infection. It can be cured by suitable antibiotics given in adequate doses for prescribed duration. Prevention lies in keeping a child away from somebody who is coughing. Do not send a sick child to play group/nursery as he carries the risk of infecting others.

Allergy to some food substance or something around or some body care product  used on the body can cause  dry cough, as one of the manifestations. There may be one or more symptoms like  running of nose, blocked nose, sneezing, skin rashes. Sometimes secondary infections can develop, resulting in fever, throat pain and swelling.  Tendency for allergy is genetic and tends to run in families. Hence there is no root cure. Common allergy producing substances are fungal spores, animal danders, household dust and mites, chemicals present in toiletries like soap, body lotion or fast foods, protein rich foods like nuts.soya products, e.t.c. Prevention lies in avoiding the potential allergy producing substances.

Steam inhalation is very beneficial to reducing and treating cough. Hot milk with honey, ginger tea, decoction with basil leaves, are some of the home remedies which help in cough.

Dr Rachna Pande is a specialist in internal medicine 

E-mail rachna212002@yahoo.co.uk