Can coughing without wheezing be asthma?

Yes: Asthma has no hard and fast definition. A history of intermittent symptoms typical of asthma (coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath) plus the finding on physical examination of characteristic musical wheezing strongly point to a diagnosis of asthma. Patients with asthma may have only cough. Furthermore, wheezing can be seen in illnesses other than asthma.

Yes...: Some patients with asthma have a cough instead of a wheeze. This is called cough-variant asthma and patients are treated like asthmatics who wheeze. The cough is due to bronchospasm and inflammation characteristic of all asthma.

Absolutely: Particularly true in youngsters, especially following exercise. Inflammation in the airways lowers the tendency for cough due to a variety of factors: smoke, odors, particles (dust), hot or cold air, and others. You can measure hyper-reactive airways by a methacholine challenge test, which helps identify when cough is due to asthma. Easier way: see if cough gets better with a rescue medication.

Yes: There is a condition known as cough variant asthma.