Coughing in children, treating it is a fairly common occurrence if there is a small child in the house. Due to an imperfect immune system, the child often catches a cold, and coughing occurs as a response to respiratory irritation. The “benefit” of a cough is that it clears the airways of mucus and sputum with pathogens or foreign bodies. Each child sometimes coughs and this does not cause much concern until he begins to cough constantly and nausea, and overall health worsens.
The following symptoms should alert the parents:
- if a coughing fit is observed with a lot of accumulated sputum. This is usually associated with an infectious, inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract.
- a dry, persistent cough can be the cause of an allergic reaction, a harbinger of bronchitis with an asthmatic component.
- fever, malaise, combined with a cough, may indicate acute bronchitis or pneumonia.
- chest pain, persistent cough, an asthma attack can indicate a foreign body in the respiratory tract.
As can be seen from the above, cough can be a companion of many diseases. Therefore, it is very important to carefully monitor the child in order to correctly describe the nature of the cough to the doctor.
Cough in children, treatment and causes
Cough in children may occur with the following diseases.
1. Upper respiratory tract infections. The upper respiratory tract includes the nasopharynx, trachea and upper part of the bronchi. If an infectious agent enters, mucosal irritation and the formation of large amounts of mucus occur. Runny nose, sore throat and ears may occur. The disease usually lasts several days and the outcome is recovery.
2. Lower respiratory tract infections. These include bronchitis, viral or bacterial pneumonia. With these diseases, the temperature is elevated, intoxication phenomena, severe weakness and shortness of breath are expressed . This also includes inflammation of the bronchioles, accompanied by wheezing and fever, and whooping cough, in which there is a strong, painful cough, fever. Routine immunization can prevent pertussis disease or significantly ease its course.
3. Foreign bodies in the respiratory tract. Foreign bodies can be small particles of food, seeds, nuts, beads, medicines, etc. At the same time, a dry, persistent cough appears , which may be accompanied by pain in the chest.
4. False croup. It is characterized by consistency in development. First a barking cough appears. Shortly before its occurrence, an upper respiratory tract infection may occur. Further, the cough intensifies, the child becomes lethargic. Coughing in children, its treatment, if not started on time, the situation may worsen, breathing becomes difficult, weakness and asthenia increase. Croup most often appears in children aged from several months to five years.
5. Bronchial asthma. The cause of the disease is usually exposure to an allergen. A disease can have precursors (for example, itchy skin on the face, neck, chest). An asthmatic cough appears after exercise, in the cold. The breathing is superficial, wheezing, shortness of breath is characteristic. Due to lack of air, communication with the child is difficult.
6. There are many other diseases in which a cough may develop in children; its treatment will depend on the cause of the disease. It can appear when inhaling smoke, allergies to dust, animal hair, sweets, congenital malformations of the respiratory tract, heart pathology.
Cough Recipes for Kids
With the appearance of a dry cough caused by a viral or bacterial infection, alkaline inhalation or inhalation with an expectorant drug helps well. The child can be offered an alkaline drink. Apply expectorant preparations inside in tablet form or syrup (lazolvan, ambroxol, bromhexine, etc.), they dilute sputum and contribute to its better discharge. If intoxication phenomena are expressed, bronchitis or pneumonia develops, antibiotics have to be prescribed.
Cough herbs for children are widespread. With a painful dry cough, the root of the marshmallow or licorice is used. Licorice, in addition to expectorant action, has the ability to stimulate the immune system. Herbs are used in the form of syrups or a decoction is prepared from dry raw materials.
You can brew a breast collection, which contains several herbs. It can be coltsfoot, licorice, thyme, mint and other herbs.
As distracting measures, they use mustard plasters on the chest, warming ointments, warm foot baths.