My child won't stop coughing!
We have all no doubt noticed how coughing among children is practically the norm, especially in pre-schoolers. At any one time, research suggests that parents will report coughing in nearly a third of children. What’s more, the impact can be significant: poor sleep, reduced performance at school, parental anxiety, even a household awake all night long. The most common cause is an acute viral Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI) which healthy children experience several times each year. A quarter of these will continue to have a cough 2 weeks after the infection, possibly longer. Assessment and treatment of cough is an area under continuous review by the guiding medical bodies, most notably the British Thoracic Society. Information on the internet about cough is generally inaccurate As GPs we often view the internet as a double edged sword. It can be invaluable as a source of useful information for self-management, however misinformation is everywhere. A study was set up