Question
A 6-year-old child has been suffering from a persistent cough for a month, and although medication has been used, the symptoms have not improved. Chest X-ray, mycoplasma, and blood tests have all shown normal results. The child has undergone intravenous treatment with penicillin, adenosine arabinoside, and Mucosolvan for 4 days. However, the nebulizer treatment seems to have been ineffective. Parents are concerned about the possibility of a foreign object in the child’s respiratory tract and are asking about the appropriate tests to determine the cause.
Answer
When there is a suspicion of a foreign object in a child’s respiratory tract, it is recommended to undergo a chest CT scan to rule out related conditions. Once a foreign object is confirmed to be present and causing recurrent infections, consider using a ureteroscope to remove the object and administer antibiotic treatment. Additionally, for persistent cough symptoms, it is necessary to confirm whether there are issues such as allergic cough or asthma. These recommendations aim to help resolve the question of ‘How should one handle the ineffectiveness of nebulizer treatment for a child who has been coughing for a month?’ We hope this information is helpful and wish your child a speedy recovery.