Child’s Cough Can Be Sign of Serious Health Problem

I was perturbed today when I saw a reporter query about what to do when a young child gets a cough.

I couldn’t help myself. I switched to my do-gooder hat and emailed this response to the reporter:

I'm not responding to be included in the article. I just wanted to warn you (in case you don't know this) that a cough can actually be a sign of asthma and can indicate a serious health issue that, if left untreated, can lead to death.

If you want a resource on this subject, I highly recommend www.aanma.org.

I’m not arguing with the latest cough syrup recommendations for children under age four, I just want parents to understand that sometimes a cough – with no other symptoms – can actually be an indicator of a serious underlying cause. And sometimes pediatricians do not recognize this. Parents need to educate themselves in order to ensure that their children have the best medical help.

See this video for an explanation of Cough-Variant Asthma:

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