Habit cough
Encyclopedia
A habit cough is a cough
that may develop in children after a cold
or other airway irritant
.
. The diagnosis
is made when the child falls asleep and the cough stops completely. Any other pathologic
cough will not totally stop at night. The child can have trouble falling asleep but once asleep will not cough.
s. Cough medicines, even opioid
ones are ineffective as are inhaler
s or steroid
s. The child will often begin to miss school and other activities due to the cough. Most of the time these children are not psychologically abnormal, but the cough can be a source of secondary gain.
Successful treatments have involved self-hypnosis
, speech therapy, and a brief course of suggestion therapy outlined in the Annals of Allergy, Volume 67, December 1991, pp. 579–83 (Lokshin, MD, et al.) With suggestion therapy, the patient was given a distractor (lidocaine nebulizer) while being told by a physician (authority figure) that he/she can control the cough with this exercise, and that the cough is just vicious cycle where the initial irritant that caused the cough is gone but the urge to cough continues the irritation.
Then starting with 3 seconds the child is asked to hold the cough for that amount of time. After success the amount of time the child is asked to hold his breath is increased to 5 seconds, 10 seconds, etc. up to 60 seconds. When the child gets to 60 seconds usually the desire to cough is gone and the child congratulated on controlling the cough. Follow-up sessions can be done at home with the parent using chloroseptic spray as the distractor. In the study in the Annals of Allergy, some children who coughed for months were stopped in one session. If short therapy does not work refer the child to a psychologist
.
Cough
A cough is a sudden and often repetitively occurring reflex which helps to clear the large breathing passages from secretions, irritants, foreign particles and microbes...
that may develop in children after a cold
Common cold
The common cold is a viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system, caused primarily by rhinoviruses and coronaviruses. Common symptoms include a cough, sore throat, runny nose, and fever...
or other airway irritant
Irritation
Irritation or exacerbation, in biology and physiology, is a state of inflammation or painful reaction to allergy or cell-lining damage. A stimulus or agent which induces the state of irritation is an irritant...
.
Indications
Habit cough is characterized by a small, harsh tinny type sound, and becomes persistent for weeks to months. The cough's hallmarks are severe frequency, often a cough every 2–3 seconds, and the lack of other symptoms such as feverFever
Fever is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.As a person's temperature increases, there is, in...
. The diagnosis
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of anything. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines with variations in the use of logics, analytics, and experience to determine the cause and effect relationships...
is made when the child falls asleep and the cough stops completely. Any other pathologic
Pathology (disambiguation)
Pathology and -logia, study of) is a medical field specializing in the categorization of diseases. Pathological is the adjective form of the term.Pathology may also refer to:- In science :...
cough will not totally stop at night. The child can have trouble falling asleep but once asleep will not cough.
Treatment
The treatment does not involve medicineMedicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
s. Cough medicines, even opioid
Opioid
An opioid is a psychoactive chemical that works by binding to opioid receptors, which are found principally in the central and peripheral nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract...
ones are ineffective as are inhaler
Inhaler
An inhaler or puffer is a medical device used for delivering medication into the body via the lungs. It is mainly used in the treatment of asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease . Zanamivir , used to treat influenza, must be administered via inhaler...
s or steroid
Steroid
A steroid is a type of organic compound that contains a characteristic arrangement of four cycloalkane rings that are joined to each other. Examples of steroids include the dietary fat cholesterol, the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone, and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone.The core...
s. The child will often begin to miss school and other activities due to the cough. Most of the time these children are not psychologically abnormal, but the cough can be a source of secondary gain.
Successful treatments have involved self-hypnosis
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
, speech therapy, and a brief course of suggestion therapy outlined in the Annals of Allergy, Volume 67, December 1991, pp. 579–83 (Lokshin, MD, et al.) With suggestion therapy, the patient was given a distractor (lidocaine nebulizer) while being told by a physician (authority figure) that he/she can control the cough with this exercise, and that the cough is just vicious cycle where the initial irritant that caused the cough is gone but the urge to cough continues the irritation.
Then starting with 3 seconds the child is asked to hold the cough for that amount of time. After success the amount of time the child is asked to hold his breath is increased to 5 seconds, 10 seconds, etc. up to 60 seconds. When the child gets to 60 seconds usually the desire to cough is gone and the child congratulated on controlling the cough. Follow-up sessions can be done at home with the parent using chloroseptic spray as the distractor. In the study in the Annals of Allergy, some children who coughed for months were stopped in one session. If short therapy does not work refer the child to a psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
.