Question
The child seems normal during the day, but at night, they have a severe cough, sometimes even vomiting. There is no runny nose or fever, and the forehead is sometimes cool, making it difficult to sleep. After seeing both Western and Chinese medicine doctors, the cough still persists. How should this be handled?
Answer
Based on the patient’s description of symptoms, the main issue is the recurrence of coughing symptoms, and the current focus is on seeking advice on the cause and solution. 1. From the patient’s symptoms, this condition may be caused by a respiratory tract infection due to infectious factors. 2. For this situation, it is recommended to give symptomatic treatment with expectorants such as acetylcysteine syrup, while also ensuring warmth and drinking plenty of water. 3. If necessary, timely consultation with a local hospital pediatric department for re-examination and chest X-rays can be done to further diagnose and treat accordingly. If it is a communicable disease, timely combined antibiotic treatment should be considered.