ABSTRACT
Cough is a very common symptom of respiratory tract infections. It is listening to the person’s story, enquiring about specific red flags and combining this with clinical examination that helps to differentiate between viral, bacterial or more sinister causes. Most conditions such as bronchitis and laryngitis can be self-managed. We take you through the process of assessing when antibiotics are indicated and deciding when hospital management is required, especially with pneumonia, COPD and asthma exacerbations. There are a number of different types of childhood respiratory tract infection; we examine the differences between pneumonia, bronchiolitis, croup, whooping cough and viral-induced wheeze and discuss the role of self-care, as well as when and what further assessment and management would be indicated.
