Psychogenic Cough Tic
Respiratory tics most often occur in early adolescent children but may be seen as early as 5 years of age. The main characteristic is a barky harsh nonproductive cough that disappears during sleep. There are no abnormal physical findings except for diminished gag and corneal reflexes in some and no evidence of chronic illness. There is no response to cough preparations. Usually the cough is exaggerated during periods of anxiety or excitement.
Cough tic often follows an upper respiratory tract infection with associated cough. The infection clears but the cough persists. The child may undergo multiple procedures to rule out organic etiology and may be excluded from school because of the continuous cough disturbing the classroom. The diagnosis is one of exclusion.
