Evaluation of 563 children with chronic cough accompanied by a new clinical algorithm.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to evaluate the children with chronic cough and to analyze their etiological factors according to the age groups.

METHOD: Five hundred sixty-three children with chronic cough were included. The last diagnosis were established and were also emphasized according to the age groups.

RESULTS: The mean age was 5.4 ± 3.8 years (2-months-17-years) and 52 % of them were male. The most common final diagnosis from all the participants were: asthma (24.9 %), asthma-like symptoms (19 %), protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB) (11.9 %), and upper airway cough syndrome (9.1 %). However, psychogenic cough was the second most common diagnosis in the subjects over 6 years of age.

CONCLUSION: Asthma and asthma-like symptoms were the most common diagnosis in children. Different age groups in children may have a different order of frequencies. Psychogenic cough should be thought of in the common causes especially in older children.