Question: What makes children of aged 3 yrs tab a persistent coughing especially at night

Jacquie Oliwa answered on 14 Jul 2017:

Hi there,
A cough in child may be due to many reasons including:
i) Infection: Colds, flu, and croup can all lead to a lingering cough for kids. Colds tend to cause a mild to moderate hacking cough; the flu a sometimes severe, dry cough; and croup has a “barking” cough mostly at night with noisy breathing. In settings like ours, one must also rule out tuberculosis in a child with a persistent cough
ii) Acid reflux: Symptoms in children may include coughing, frequent vomiting/spitting up, a bad taste in the mouth, and heartburn.
iii) Asthma: a wheezing cough, which may get worse at night, is one of many asthma symptoms. The other may be a cough that appears with increased physical activity or during play.
iv) Allergies/sinusitis can cause a lingering cough, as well as an itchy throat, runny nose, watery eyes, sore throat, or rash.
v) Whooping cough, also called pertussis, is characterized by back-to-back coughs, followed by an inhale that has a “whooping” sound. Other symptoms may include runny nose, sneezing, and low fever. Whooping cough is contagious, but easy to prevent with a vaccine.
vi) A child may also cough out of habit after having been sick with a cough
vii) after inhaling a foreign body like food or a small toy
viii) or after exposure to irritants like pollution from cigarettes or fireplace smoke.
I hope that answers your question?
Kind regards,
Jacquie