Abstract
Cough is an important defensive reflex ensuring airway patency. It is a common symptom occurring during the cold months which resolves spontaneously and does not need any pharmacotherapy in the majority of cases.
However, it can be a symptom of serious illness in some cases. A thorough anamnestic analysis, physical, laboratory and additional investigations can reveal the cough?s origins for the majority of children.
Children with a cough lasting longer than 6 weeks and not subsiding after rational pharmacotherapy (antibiotics against bacterial infection suspicion), without chronic lung disease or pathological findings on chest X-rays should be referred for a professional investigation. Immediate hospitalization is necessary in case of acute lung disease with a difficult progression, cough, hemoptosis, breathlessness or hypoxia.