The article is for information purpose only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

It is common for children to have coughs as they have weaker immune systems. In this article, we will talk about the different types of coughs, their causes and remedies available to treat them.

Normally, parents will bring their child to the doctor or get over-the-counter (OTC) drugs to ease their symptoms. However, OTC drugs are proven to be ineffective for acute and chronic cough in children. In fact, they will result in serious detrimental effects in children. These drugs only seek to relieve the symptoms of coughs and are also prone to accidental overdose.

Below is a list of OTC drugs and their uses. It is important to note that these drugs should only be used if really necessary and they are not recommended or required to be used for most coughs (acute cough), unless if your child has chronic cough and they are prescribed by a professional.

Antihistamines

Antihistamines dry up the nasal secretion to stop runny or blocked noses. Some antihistamines target the cough centre in the brain to suppress the cough. They also numb the back of the throat to prevent the cough.

Antihistamines may cause your child to become drowsy or more active, experience difficulty in falling asleep and nervousness.

Antitussives (Cough Suppressants)

Cough suppressants are not suitable for children under two years of age as they might cause breathing problems.

Also, they are effective for relieving dry and hacking cough only, which are coughs that arise from tickling throats. Hence, they are usually not used for coughs with phlegm.

They work by targeting the cough centre in the brain.

Expectorants

Expectorants are used to treat coughs with phlegm as they dissolve the phlegm and allows your child to cough it out.

Try warm water for your child first as it is the best expectorant before going over the counter to get one. Make sure your child gets adequate water intake when he or she has a cough.

Antipyretics

Antipyretics include aspirin and paracetamol which reduces fever.

Paracetamol can be used for children in very small doses while aspirin should not be given to children under 18 years of age.

Given the detrimental effects of OTC drugs, to treat your child‘s cough and colds, we are going to explore other alternatives to OTC drugs after understanding the different types of coughs. This article only serves as a guide and it is optimal that parents seek professional help from doctors.

Types of cough and their remedies

Acute cough

The duration of acute cough in children is two weeks. Acute cough is caused by upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) that normally goes away spontaneously. Parents do not need to be overly worried as it is normal for pre-schoolers to have up to 8 to 10 episodes of URTI (acute cough) in a year.

URTI may be caused or exacerbated by inhalation of foreign bodies or bacterial infections at home or school.

Treatment of acute cough

There is no evidence to suggest the effectiveness of antitussive syrups and antihistamines. In addition, their detrimental effects to your child are serious. These OTC medications are only as effective as placebo for acute cough in children. Hence, parents should avoid giving their child these products.

To treat acute coughs, some doctors may give your child antipyretics and aspiration of secretions. On top of that, most importantly, you will need to give your child good hydration.

One natural remedy that is proven in various research to be useful in treating acute cough is honey, especially buckwheat honey. Honey is found to be able to reduce cough frequency and severity in a study conducted by Paediatrics and Child Health. Results from the study proves that honey is better than no treatment and also comparable to or slightly better than two common OTC cough medicines (dextromethorphan and diphenhydramine respectively).

This is because honey can prevent bacteria growth, viruses and reduces inflammation. It also has soothing effects and antioxidant properties. However, honey should not be given to young children below the age of one as it may cause botulism.

Antibiotics are recommended if bacterial infection or pneumonia is suspected.

Parents and healthcare professionals should avoid unnecessary consultations and examinations as the cough will resolve two weeks after onset.

Chronic cough

Chronic cough in children is cough persisting more than four weeks. We can classify chronic coughs into three types: normal or expected cough (where the cause is known), specific cough and non-specific cough.

Chronic cough: Specific cough

Specific cough where the cough occurs with signs and symptoms suggesting a specific diagnosis or disease after thorough examination.

If cough is accompanied by wheezing or breathing difficulties, there is a wide range of possible causes: asthma, foreign body, recurrent aspirations and etcetera. In this case, it would be advisable that you consult a doctor to know the cause of your child’s cough.

Asthma may present as nocturnal cough, while cough that disappears when the child is asleep may suggest a psychogenic cough.

Psychogenic cough is dry, hacking, repetitive and frequent during the day, and calms down or disappears during the sleep. It is worsened in the presence of parents or caregivers and diminishes with distraction and sport. Thus, children who have this form of cough can get some exercise. This type of cough is diagnosed in a healthy child who does not improve with medication. It may also be caused by stress or anxiety and may require subsequent psychological support.

Chronic cough due to asthma requires treatment with bronchodilators and depending on classification, with inhaled corticosteroids. In cases of allergic rhinitis, which may be caused by breathing in an allergen, antihistamines and nasal steroid will be needed.

Sinusitis, which symptom may be persistent headache, will require treatment with antibiotics.

In addition, there are many other types of chronic coughs. If your child has chronic cough, it is necessary for you to bring him or her to the doctor to diagnose the type of chronic cough he or she has.

Chronic cough: Non-specific cough

Non-specific cough includes syndromes that present with predominantly dry cough, with no signs or symptoms suggestive of disease and the child feels well.

If the cough has moderate impact, there is no underlying disease and the child is healthy, a period of observation is recommended before your child needs to go for diagnostic tests or treatment. There should also be a follow up examination of your child after 6 to 8 weeks. Parents should always seek expert advice and the duration of the treatment should be based on the doctor’s observation.

For dry cough, a trial treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (steroid hormones) at half doses for 2-12 weeks is recommended. After a reassessment after 2 to 3 weeks, the treatment should be discontinued if there is no response to the treatment.

For non-specific productive cough (which means with phlegm), the doctor may consider prescribing a course of antibiotics for 2 to 3 weeks.

If your child has more than one cause of cough, it may cause a delay in response or treatment failure if underlying conditions are not treated.

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Parents should bear in mind that the use of antitussive syrups, antihistamines and other drugs only relieve the symptoms and there are no evidence that they are effective. They also cause serious adverse effects in children. Hence, it is advisable that parents try giving their child natural remedies before anything. As mentioned, honey is proven to be effective for acute coughs (URTI). Ensuring a well-balanced diet and healthy lifestyle for your child is also a natural way to treat his or her cough.

Natural remedies: Diet and Lifestyle

A well-balanced diet and lifestyle for your child will be as effective as drugs, if not more effective.

You should ensure that your child takes in enough water throughout the day, have a well-balanced diet and stay away from air-conditioned areas.

Giving your child more fruits and vegetables, especially raw ones, can help to increase the good bacteria in his or her body to fight off the bad bacteria.

Additionally, you can give your child food with omega-3 fatty acids to minimize the negative effects of inflammation.

Besides, you can also give your child fruits rich in vitamin C like guava, orange, papaya and broccoli. This is because vitamin C intake increases the number of natural killer cells in your child’s blood and their ability to make antiviral compounds to fight off the infection.

Vitamin A also helps with the production of specific antibody isotypes and immune responses. Hence, giving your child foods rich in vitamin A such as carrots, spinach and sweet potato helps him or her to recover faster.

Lastly, you should ensure that your child gets adequate sleep so that his or her body can recuperate well.