Abstract
Chronic cough has been variably defined as a cough lasting longer than 3, 8 or 12 weeks. Viral or atypical bacterial infections of airways and pertussis are associated with prolonged dry coughing that resolves over time.
A large proportion of children with isolated chronic dry cough have bronchial asthma, chronic rhinits and extraesophageal reflux disease. Adenoid hypertrophy is a common cause of chronic cough in preschool and school children.
It is reasonable to consider the possibility that cough may represent a form of somatoform disorder - psychogenic cough after other causes have been ruled out. Patients with persistent bacterial bronchitis associated with wet cough and failing to respond to antibiotic pharmacotherapy should be investigated for underlying lung disease.