My 15 year old son has had an intermittent forceful cough for about a year. He coughs every day. Other things we have noticed is that his saliva is VERY thick and we can always tell which glass he has used because where he holds the glass gets crusty feeling and it s not from food, only other thing is that he has started to sweat profusely. He is a healthy 6 1 who plays sports right now cross country and helps his dad with farm chores. An ent checked his bronchial tubes and said they were pristine. A pulmonary Dr had him try a few different inhalers and none of them made any difference. Our pediatrician ordered an upper GI study and it came back fine.
Thanks for your question on Chat Doctor. I can understand your concern. There are two possibilities from your history one is HERD which will be known from an upper GIs copy and the second is asthma, for which he will require a PFT. So better to consult pulmonologist and get done clinical examination of respiratory system and PFT (Pulmonary Function Test). PFT is needed for the diagnosis of asthma. It will also tell you about severity of the disease and treatment of bronchitis is based on severity only. HE may need inhaled bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroid (ICS). Hope I have solved your query. Wish you good health. Thanks