Coughing

A cough is the body's natural reflex to irritation of the throat, the very back of the nose and the membranous lining of the air passages.

It often accompanies an infection of the upper airways, the throat or the lower airways and the purpose of the cough is to remove excess mucus or phlegm. By coughing the phlegm is loosened, brought up into the mouth and then swallowed. Any germs existing in it are then killed by the acid in the stomach. (A common cause of coughing at night is mucus dripping from the nose and sinuses into the back of the throat.) However, coughing can also be due to allergy or asthma and not infection.

What to do

A cough that is merely a response to irritation and not to the presence of excess mucus is called an unproductive cough because it doesn't cough out any phlegm. A cough that does get rid of the mucus is called a productive cough. An unproductive cough serves no useful purpose and can be extremely irritating to a young child; it can even prevent sleep. It is important to differentiate between a dry, unproductive cough and a wet, productive one that produces phlegm, because the treatments are entirely different.

Cough medicines in general are not effective, but a cough suppressant can be useful if a child has a very severe, dry, unproductive cough that's disturbing his sleep. Expectorant cough medicines are not generally recommended for children.

You can ease the irritation of a night-time cough by turning your child on to his side or his front, or by propping him on pillows (if he's over a year old). Never let the coughing become so severe that a prolonged bout causes your child to vomit. Seek medical advice if your child has a persistent chronic dry cough, as it could be asthma or an allergic reaction.

A productive cough, however, should never be suppressed because it is serving a useful purpose. It is helping to overcome infection by clearing mucus from the air passages. A productive cough that lasts for more than 24 hours may need treatment, so seek medical advice.

Dr Miriam Stoppard

New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard

Posted 03.11.2010

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