It is not uncommon for children to experience coughing. However a daily cough  that lasts more than 4 weeks is known as chronic cough. This type of cough warrants a visit to the pediatrician for evaluation.

Coughing is the body’s natural and normal reaction to an irritant in the airways which includes the nose and nasal passages, pharynx, larynx, trachea and lungs. When the nerves in the airways sense an irritant such as a mucus or foreign particle , it sends a message to the brain to clear the breathing passage.

Some of the causes of chronic cough

Some of the causes of chronic cough include the following :

• allergies and sinusitis : These two are the most common causes of cough in children
• asthma : It can present  with chronic cough as the only symptom
• whooping cough : This is caused by a bacterial infection and can result in uncontrollable cough. People with this condition catch their breath by inhaling so deep , they make a whooping sound
• cystic fibrosis :In rare cases , a chronic cough may be a sign of this serious condition.  Cystic fibrosis is a progressive genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections
• acid reflux : Even though this condition is typically associated  with gastrointestinal symptoms such as heartburn , vomiting or stomachache, it can  cause the development of chronic cough in children
• aspiration : This is when swallowed food or liquid pass below the level of the vocal cords into the lungs. It can also be due to vocal cord paralysis or other neurological conditions that causes decreased sensation in the upper airways. Coughing that occurs while eating or drinking especially if the child has recurrent pneumonia could be due to aspiration.
• airway blockage : In some cases, chronic cough could be a sign that a foreign object has become stuck in the child’s airways.
• habit cough : This  is  harsh, corky ,honking, repetitive coughing. It usually appears after a trivial viral infection. This cough disappers when the child is disrupted or asleep