Question
My 3-year-old child has had a cough for the third day now. There’s a bit of phlegm in his throat when he coughs, but he doesn’t seem to have phlegm when he’s not coughing. It’s been three days since the cough and phlegm in his throat.
Answer
Firstly, I strongly advise against self-medicating your child. This can not only be ineffective but also lead to adverse reactions and increased drug resistance. Based on my experience, I suspect it might be atypical asthma. It is a major cause of pediatric coughs. Currently, it accounts for 40% of respiratory coughs in children. The clinical manifestation is coughing without an obvious trigger, with no phlegm. However, there seems to be a phlegmy sound in the throat. The lungs may or may not have wheezing sounds on percussion. With the easing of the condition, symptoms such as fever and difficulty breathing may reappear. The characteristic is that common expectorants and antibiotics are ineffective. There are often recurrent rashes on the body.