Chronic cough and/or wheezing in infants and children less than 5 years old: diagnostic approaches

The child with recurrent cough and/or wheeze must be placed into one of three diagnostic categories, usually on the basis of the history and physical examination. These categories are:

(a) normal child (b) one of the variants of the asthma spectrum

(see Table 6.1 and below) (c) serious underlying condition needing a

specific diagnosis and treatment.