Management of Acute Cough in Children: Where Do We Go from Here?

The safety of cough and cold products for pediatric use has been a concern of regulatory agencies and advocacy groups for decades. Most recently, the Food and Drug Administration requested input from Pulmonary-Allergy Drugs and Drug Safety and Risk Management advisory committees on the safety of codeine for cough in children aged 18 years and younger. There is little evidence of efficacy for codeine in the treatment of acute cough in children, but mounting evidence for risks of respiratory depression and death. Similarly, dextromethorphan, benzonatate, antihistamines, guaifenesin, and mucolytics lack efficacy in controlled trials or there are no data with which to evaluate efficacy, and dextromethorphan may cause respiratory depression. Honey and topical use of aromatic oils (camphor, menthol, and eucalyptus) have limited evidence of efficacy, but may have the greatest margin of safety for treatment of acute cough in children.