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Cough and Allergies

My daughter has been experiencing a horrible cough for the last 6 weeks. (off and on) Could this be due to allergies?

The doctor does not here a wheeze and she does not cough after she is running around. (Which are typical asthma symptoms) The cough is generally the worse in the morning.

Thanks for asking about cough variant asthma.

Many children will experience a cough for several weeks after a "cold" or virus infection. Normal individuals will have cold symptoms for no longer then 6-10 days. If your child's cold lasts for longer than 10 days, then allergy may be the cause.

Cough variant asthma is due to irritation and inflammation in the lungs of patients who have a tendency to have what we allergists refer to as reactive airways, or ticklish lungs.

Allergy testing and lung function testing is useful in children who cough i order to make an accurate diagnosis of the child's symptoms.

Ask your daughter's doctor about seeing an Allergy Specialist who may be able to make a diagnosis for her. With proper care, coughing children can feel better.

Good luck.

Steve Kagen, M.D.
Allernet.com