Suggest Treatment For Dry Cough In An Infant

Posted on Wed, 28 Oct 2015

Question: Hello Doctor,

Recently from last week my son who is 4.5 months old is having coughing intermittently and its dry cough this time. Do I need to visit the clinic and have him seen by the doctor or is there something that can be done to lighten this situation. The cough is not excessive but intermittently disturbing him

Thanks,
XXXX

Answered by Dr. Dr. Pradeep Kumar Jain (10 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Observe the baby,visit the doctor if condition worsens

Detailed Answer:
Hello

Thanks for asking on this platform

Most common cause of coug in this age is viral infection/allergy or regurgitation of feed.

I would like to know if cough is more after feeds(suggestive of regurgitation),cough is associated with fever or noisy breathing (viral infection).
If there is no significant precipitating factor,most likely it is just a cough reflex and it should improve with time.

I won't get overly worried if baby is active,playful,feeding well,there is no breathing difficulty,it is not associated with feeds and cough is not disturbing sleep.

Please let me know if there is any significant history or you have any more query.
Observe the baby and if you find any breathing difficulty or worsening of symptoms consult your pediatrician.

Wishing for your baby's good health.
Regards

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar