Approach to chronic cough in children

Mrs Soh brought her eight-year-old son Bobby to see you, as she could not find a solution for his cough, which had lasted for six weeks, despite trying various antihistamines. It had started after a short bout of fever and rhinorrhoea. Bobby was heard coughing in the daytime by his teacher and sometimes at night when he slept in the same room with his mother. Bobby was still able to cycle with his family on weekends. He did not complain of breathlessness and was occasionally able to expectorate yellow phlegm. His teacher had written a letter to Mrs Soh, as other parents had voiced a concern about Bobby's coughing episodes in class.