Persistent cough and failure to thrive: a presentation of foreign body aspiration in a child with asthma.(Disease/Disorder overview)

Severe failure to thrive (FTT) in a child with asthma and a persistent cough should not be explained solely by asthma and warrants a thorough and prompt evaluation. The finding of a foreign body in our case was surprising, because it does not usually present as or lead to FTT. Good clinical judgment...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatrics (Evanston) 2006-05, Vol.117 (5), p.1786
Main Authors: Kugelman, Amir, Shaoul, Ron, Goldsher, Moshe, Srugo, Isaak
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asthma
Asthma in children
Care and treatment
Childhood asthma
Children & youth
Diagnosis
Pediatrics
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Severe failure to thrive (FTT) in a child with asthma and a persistent cough should not be explained solely by asthma and warrants a thorough and prompt evaluation. The finding of a foreign body in our case was surprising, because it does not usually present as or lead to FTT. Good clinical judgment and habits could prevent the course of events that we described in this case. Following are the key lessons to be learned from this presentation: (1) maintain a high index of suspicion for foreign body aspiration, even in toddlers with asthma, (2) pay special attention to a child with FTT, (3) be aware of localizing findings on physical examination and chest radiographs, and (4) perform a chest radiograph no later than after 1 month of chronic cough. KEY WORDS. asthma, cough, failure to thrive, foreign body.
ISSN:0031-4005
1098-4275