Tic Cough in an Adolescent with Organic Brain Pathology-A Case Report and Literature Review

Chronic cough in children and adolescents can be troublesome both to the patient and the whole family. The most common causes of chronic cough in children are protracted bacterial bronchitis and bronchial asthma. However, differential diagnostic workup and treatment can become complicated when a cough of different etiology is encountered, especially in a child having a complex medical history for an unrelated pathology. A cough lacking any identified somatic cause and response to medical treatment in combination with core clinical features of tics that include suppressibility, distractibility, suggestibility, variability, and the presence of a premonitory sensation is labeled tic cough. Here we discuss a case of an adolescent who had atrophy of the corpus callosum and a history of ventriculoperitoneal shunting due to hydrocephalus caused by stenosis of the sylvian aqueduct, but now presented with a debilitating dry cough lasting for several months. After physical causes of cough were ruled out, the diagnosis of tic cough was reached, and multidisciplinary treatment ensured complete recovery. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case showing coincidence of tic cough and hydrocephalus. The co-occurrence of non-syndromic corpus callosum atrophy and tic cough might hypothetically suggest a predisposing pathogenetic link via reduced signaling through cortical inhibitory neurons; further studies are needed. The importance of careful assessment of medical history, clinical picture, and features of the cough itself are emphasized in order to reach the correct diagnosis. Increased awareness of medical society is mandatory to recognize tic cough and to distinguish it from the neurologic manifestations of organic brain pathology.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2024

Erschienen:

2024

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:14

Enthalten in:

Brain sciences - 14(2024), 1 vom: 13. Jan.

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Grinevica, Agnese [VerfasserIn]
Udre, Agnese [VerfasserIn]
Balodis, Arturs [VerfasserIn]
Strumfa, Ilze [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Adolescent
Case Reports
Corpus callosum atrophy
Cough
Hydrocephalus
Tic cough

Anmerkungen:

Date Revised 28.01.2024

published: Electronic

Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE

doi:

10.3390/brainsci14010079

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM367387859