Relation of Chronic Cough to Atopy and Defects in Host Defense
The background and etiology of chronic cough were investigated by comparing three groups of children under 6 years of age, 60 of whom had simple cough, 60 of whom had asthma, and 60 of whom were used as controls. Both cough and asthma were more common in boys and associated with a history of eczema, chest deformity, and skin reactivity to inhaled allergens, but these findings were more prevalent in conjunction with asthma than with cough. House dust mite sensitivity was found in 34 (57%) of the children who had simple cough, 45 (75%) of those who had asthma, and 6 (10%) of the control subjects.
