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Non-Productive Cough in Children

A non-productive cough is one that does not bring up any mucous. These coughs often sound dry, and can be explosive in sound as though the child has lost their breath or is choking. If persistent, a non-productive cough can be indicative that something other than a cold is going on within the child's chest and should be investigated.

  1. Hay Fever

    • One reason for a dry persistent cough is seasonal allergies, like hay fever. When a child is suffering from hay fever his nasal passages swell in reactive to allergens and pollens in the environment. Coughing is the body's reaction to clearing debris or mucous to allow breath again. Adding to the difficulty in breathing and the resultant dry cough is the post nasal drip that often comes with hay fever. This can cause the back of the throat to feel dry and itches and produce coughing.

    Bronchitis

    • Bronchitis is characterized by a non-productive cough that tends to rise in bouts of breathless coughing. The child sounds as though she can not catch her breath. The child wheezes and may have trouble sleeping and moving due to being unable to catch a full breath. Bronchitis needs to be treated by a pediatrician as it can turn into pneumonia if not remedied.

    Asthma

    • Asthma is where the mind leaps in a child with a persistent non-productive cough as such a cough is a key symptom. If the child also wheezes or makes a whistle sound when exhaling, has trouble sleeping do to breathless coughing, gets out of breath playing with friends and feels tightness in his chest, its time to talk to a doctor and pinpoint whether the cause is asthma or something environmental or viral.

    Environmental Causes

    • Some children are sensitive to dust and the chemicals in the solvents we use to clean. This is when its important to take note of when and where your child is coughing. It could be something in her environment is triggering the bouts and if so that can be addressed and the symptom should quickly cease. Another big irritant is smoking. Children's lungs can be particularly sensitive to smoke, causing coughing and over time, can even cause lung scaring.

    Illness

    • If the dry cough has been present for a few days, it can be a sign that the child is ill. An unproductive cough can be the beginning of something as serious as a lung infection to something as common as the flu. Whenever a cough if persistent over three days its important to get the cough checked.

    Obstruction

    • If a child is coughing and having difficulty breathing, ask her if she swallowed anything. Children can get rather large objects, such as toy parts, chucks of food, even wads of paper stuck in their passage ways. If a child has an obstruction in his throat, do a quick swipe and see if you can manually dislodge it. If not, and you are not alone ask someone to call 911 immediately while you administer care. If alone, administer care for two minutes and then call 911. You will need to firmly hit them with the heel of your hand between their should blades, and stand behind and thrust up from the stomach to under the ribs. Brushing up with a childhood CPR class will tell you everything you need to know.

      A non-productive cough can have many causes. Watching the elements surrounding the cough and the child's behavior will help pinpoint the exact cause.

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