Coughs, Age 11 and Younger Coughing is the body's way of
removing foreign material or mucus from the lungs and upper
airway passages or of reacting to an irritated airway. Coughs
have distinctive traits you can learn to recognize. A cough is
only a symptom, not a disease, and often the importance of a
cough can be determined only when other symptoms are evaluated.
For information about coughs in teens and adults, see the topic
Coughs, Age 12 and Older. A productive cough produces phlegm or
mucus (sputum). The mucus may have drained down the back of the
throat from the nose or sinuses or may have come up from the
lungs. A productive cough generally should not be suppressed; it
clears mucus from the lungs. There are many causes of a
productive cough, such as: A nonproductive cough is dry and does
not produce sputum. A dry, hacking cough may develop toward the
end of a cold or after exposure to an irritant, such as dust or
smoke. There are many causes of a nonproductive cough, such as:
Coughs in children Childre