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    Chronic Cough In Children, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Chronic Cough In Children, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Chronic Cough In Children, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Ebook121 pages58 minutes

    Chronic Cough In Children, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

    By Kenneth Kee

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    About this ebook

    Cough in children may occur from causes anywhere along the airway, from the nose to the alveoli.
    Cough is a non-specific reaction to irritation anywhere from the pharynx to the lungs.
    Childhood coughing is a frequent disorder that can cause anxiety in parents.
    There are significant differences from adult cough in terms of possible causes and treatment guidelines.
    Chronic cough in children is described as a cough that last longer than eight weeks.
    This time period is used because most acute infective causes of cough will recover in 3-4 weeks, and the eight-week definition identifies those who may require more investigations.
    Occasionally post infective cough may persist longer (3-8 weeks) as in the case of pertussis or post viral cough.
    Young children may get repeat occurrences of viral respiratory tract infection up to 6-8 times per year and this may be mistaken for chronic cough.
    These guidelines notice that the time period between acute and chronic cough (3-8 weeks) is sometimes called 'sub-acute cough' or 'prolonged acute cough' (e.g., a slowly resolving post-viral cough).
    The three most frequent causes of chronic cough in adults (asthma, postnasal drip syndrome and gastro-esophageal reflux) are not always the most frequent in children
    1.Most children with asthma have inflamed or swollen airways, which often cause repeat occurrences of episodes of cough, wheezing and shortness of breath
    2.Postnasal drip produced by rhinitis or a sinus infection (sinusitis) can induce chronic cough.
    Normally other symptoms such as nasal blockage and congestion or sneezing are present, but occasionally the only symptom observed is the cough.
    3. In some children, the reason of chronic cough is stomach fluid moving back up the throat or reflux.
    Some children may form a hoarse voice and choking as symptoms as a result od acid irritating the throat
    4. Following a viral respiratory infection, healthy children can have a cough lasting for weeks.
    5. Foreign bodies, such as toys and food, can be incidentally inhaled at any age, but most often happens at ages two to four years producing a prolonged cough.
    Symptoms
    1. Family history of lung disease.
    2. Neonatal onset of cough.
    3. Sudden onset of cough.
    4. Hemoptysis (true hemoptysis - not, for example, nosebleeds or cheek biting).
    5. Cough with feeding, dysphagia (swallowing difficulty), severe vomiting.
    6. Chronic wet cough with sputum production.
    7. Cough started and persisted after a choking episode
    8. Cough that occurs during or immediately after feeding
    Signs
    1. Signs of chronic lung disease - e.g., clubbing.
    2. Failure to thrive.
    3. Abnormal voice or crying, inspiratory stridor.
    4. Focal chest abnormality
    Initial investigations:
    1. Chest XRay
    2. Spirometry
    Further investigations:
    1. Sputum sample
    2. Allergy testing
    Treatment
    1. In a well child with no 'red flags', the doctor should avoid invasive investigations and to reduce the expectations and anxieties of parents.
    2. Persistent cough induces repeated treatments and parental anxiety.
    3. Environmental causes should be removed if possible - e.g., tobacco smoke.
    Anti-tussive drugs are not normally advised
    A cough protects the child's body by eliminating mucus, irritating substances and infections from his or her respiratory tract
    If the child has a cough that persists more than two to three weeks, the parent should schedule a visit with the doctor.
    Coughing that persists more than 8 weeks is indicated chronic.
    An allergist is often the best specialist to find out the cause
    Plenty of fluids should be consumed
    Decongestants help to clear a runny nose and alleviate postnasal drip
    Inhaling Steam can help to dissolve phlegm and clear the nose.

    TABLE OF CONTENT
    Introduction
    Chapter 1 Chronic Cough in Children
    Chapter 2 Causes
    Chapter 3 Symp

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKenneth Kee
    Release dateSep 13, 2017
    ISBN9781370790791
    Chronic Cough In Children, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Author

    Kenneth Kee

    Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"

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      Book preview

      Chronic Cough In Children, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions - Kenneth Kee

      Chronic Cough

      In Children,

      A

      Simple

      Guide

      To

      The Condition,

      Diagnosis,

      Treatment

      And

      Related Conditions

      By

      Dr Kenneth Kee

      M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)

      Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

      Copyright Kenneth Kee 2017 Smashwords Edition

      Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

      Dedication

      This book is dedicated

      To my wife Dorothy

      And my children

      Carolyn, Grace

      And Kelvin

      This book describes Chronic Cough In Children, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases which is seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

      (What The patient Need to Treat Chronic Cough In Children)

      This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If the patient would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

      If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

      Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Introduction

      I have been writing medical articles for my blog http://kennethkee.blogspot.com (A Simple Guide to Medical Disorder) for the benefit of my patients since 2007.

      My purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of my patients.

      Health Education was also my dissertation for my Ph.D (Healthcare Administration).

      I then wrote an autobiolographical account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com.

      This autobiolographical account A Family Doctor’s Tale was combined with my early A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders into a new Wordpress Blog A Family Doctor’s Tale on http://kenkee481.wordpress.com.

      From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 800 amazon kindle books and 200 into Smashwords.com eBooks.

      Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.

      For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.

      The later books go into more details of medical disorders.

      The first chapter is always from my earlier blogs which unfortunately tends to have typos and spelling mistakes.

      Since 2013, I have tried to improve my spelling and writing.

      As I tried to bring the patient the latest information about a disorder or illness by reading the latest journals both online and offline, I find that I am learning more and improving on my own medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for my patients.

      Just by writing all these simple guides I find that I have learned a lot from your reviews (good or bad), criticism and advice.

      I am sorry for the repetitions in these simple guides as the second chapters onwards have new information as compared to my first chapter taken from my blog.

      I also find repetition definitely help me and maybe some readers to remember the facts in the books more easily.

      I apologize if these repetitions are irritating to some readers.

      Chapter 1

      Chronic Cough in Children

      Chronic Cough in Children is very commonly seen at the family doctor clinic.

      Up to 7-10 % of preschool and primary school children may have chronic cough without wheeze at some time.

      That is the reason why I am writing about this subject.

      What is Chronic Cough in Children?

      Cough in children may occur from causes anywhere along the airway, from the nose to the alveoli.

      Cough is a non-specific reaction to irritation anywhere from the pharynx to the lungs.

      Childhood coughing is a frequent disorder that can cause anxiety in parents.

      There are significant differences from adult cough in terms of possible causes and treatment guidelines.

      Chronic cough in children is described as a cough that last longer than eight weeks.

      This time period is used because most acute infective causes of cough will recover in 3-4 weeks, and the eight-week definition identifies those who may require more investigations.

      Occasionally post infective cough may persist longer (3-8 weeks) as in the case of pertussis or post viral cough.

      Young children may get repeat occurrences of viral respiratory tract infection up to 6-8 times per year and this may be mistaken for chronic cough.

      These guidelines notice that the time period between acute and chronic cough (3-8 weeks) is sometimes called 'sub-acute cough' or 'prolonged acute cough' (e.g., a slowly resolving post-viral cough).

      If a cough is beginning to recover after three weeks, more time may be permitted before investigating further.

      If the cough does not improve by the third week or is getting worse in severity, earlier investigations may be required.

      In most guidelines, chronic cough is described as a cough lasting more than 8 weeks

      These guidelines are based on the natural history of the most frequent cause of acute cough, upper respiratory tract infections.

      Studies indicate that in 90% of children with acute upper respiratory tract infections, the cough has settled within 25 days or 3 and half weeks.

      Types of Chronic cough:

      Chronic cough may be classified as:

      1. Specific cough (in which there is no identifiable cause)

      2. Non-specific cough (persistent isolated dry cough in otherwise well children with no signs of respiratory disease and normal investigations)

      Incidence

      Surveys show that parent-reported cough (as an isolated symptom) is frequent

      The incidence of chronic cough in children has been documented as being

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