Clinical characteristics of habit cough
| Loud and repetitive (softer throat clearing variant in some) |
| Absent once asleep (sine qua non) |
| Mainly in children and adolescents |
| Affects both sexes |
| Duration ranges from weeks to many months |
| No consistent response to bronchodilators, steroids, antibiotics or antitussive medications |
| Multiple unscheduled visits for medical care and even hospitalisation are common |
| Normal physical examination other than cough; associated tics are rarely present |
| All clinical testing is otherwise normal |
| Initial respiratory illness such as a viral respiratory infection (common cold) is common |
| Commonly misdiagnosed as asthma |
| School is often missed because of cough |
| Secondary gain or school phobia is uncommonly associated |