Cough in children: the current approach to rational pharmacotherapy

Abstract

Cough in children is one of the most common symptoms both in outpatient and hospital practices. It is the main reason why parents of these patients (especially of younger kids) seek for medical care. The article highlights the current view on the cough in pediatric practice. It elucidates cough classification, etiology, and therapy in children. The authors describe characteristics of the respiratory epithelium, a multicellular layer, that extends from the nasopharynx to the small airways and acts as a respiratory barrier coordinating immune response in the early childhood, undergoing the process of development, maturation, and regeneration to adapt to the changing environment. The article presents findings of the clinical studies assessing the medications of choice that were used for the treatment of coughs in children. The selection of right drugs should be based on individual patient’s needs and depend on the extent of cough impact on the patient condition. Also, it is necessary to consider whether the cough is intense, productive, for how long it lasts and to analyse bronchial mucus characteristics. KEYWORDS: cough, children, respiratory epithelium, immune response, immunity, antitussives, butamirate. FOR CITATION: Nikolaeva S.V., Kanner E.V., Kanner I.D. et al. Cough in children: the current approach to rational pharmacotherapy. Russian Medical Inquiry. 2022;6(11):650–655 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2022-6-11-650-655.