Cough is common to colds and infections, but if your child's cough persists, it may be a symptom of another disease. It is not uncommon for a cough to get worse when you eat. If your child has the most likely cause of medical attention, be sure to consult your pediatrician.
If your child has a worse cough while eating, talk to your pediatrician. (Photo: monkeybusinessimages / iStock / Getty Images) Cough
Cough is the way the body absorbs mucus or foreign matter in and out of the lungs and airways. Infections such as bronchitis or sinusitis, allergies, postnasal drip or viral diseases are common causes. A cough that gets worse when you eat, or a major cough that eats, may be due to gastroesophageal reflux disease, difficulty swallowing, or asthma.
Gastroesophageal reflux
Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, when stomach contents, such as food and acid, are removed from the stomach, into the esophagus, and sometimes into the mouth. Backflow in young children occurs when the muscles that normally contract to keep the contents of the stomach weaken or relax at the wrong time. One of the most common symptoms of GERD is frequent or persistent cough due to irritation of the esophagus or trachea. When a child eats, the cough from GERD may get worse, because when the food is full of stomach, it creates pressure to compress the muscles and cause reflux. Chocolate, mint and chocolate, the chance of reflux increases the high-fat foods because they keep the valve open longer.
Dysphagia
The broadest definition of dysphagia is difficult to eat, but the problem may be anywhere in the process. Your child may have difficulty picking up food and putting it in the mouth, or may not shut up to hold food. The difficulty may be sucking, chewing, swallowing or moving food into the throat and into the stomach. Coughing, especially when eating, becomes more coughing and is a symptom of difficulty swallowing. Other symptoms include irritability during feeding, refusal of food or drink, difficulty in coordinating breathing and eating or vomiting. Dysphagia can expose your child to the risk of malnutrition, dehydration and upper respiratory tract infections.
Asthma
Differential conditions can trigger asthmaDone, but some of the most common causes are exercise, GERD, cigarette smoke, allergies, stress and cold air. Regardless of what is triggered, the immune system responds and causes inflammation and swelling of the airways, muscle contraction around the airways, and increased mucus secretion. The result is difficulty breathing and coughing. Young children may develop cough variant asthma, or asthma, where chronic cough is the only symptom. If your child's trigger is a food allergy, the cough will get worse when he eats.
