Hard breathing: causes and treatment

Healthy airways as well as the lungs produce special sounds during exhalation and inhalation. However, not all noises may be normal. There is hard breathing, the cause of which is inflammatory processes relating to the airways, especially the bronchi. These processes almost always change the volume of the exhale, and it can be heard as distinctly as the breath.

Symptoms of the disease

Such breathing is easily determined by the obvious indicators of a general disease - the appearance of dry, intense cough, shortness of breath. To a small extent, the temperature may increase. But these signs are characteristic of a simple SARS. In most cases, due to improperly prescribed therapy, acute respiratory viral infections ends in bronchitis.

Usually, the doctor, when examining and listening in the chest area, hears hard breathing in the lungs. At the first stage of malaise, wheezing is usually not heard. With an exacerbated course of the disease, the patient's well-being can be significantly aggravated: a wet cough with sputum that is difficult to separate begins, and body temperature rises. Probably even the occurrence of asthma.

In allergic patients, as a result of contact with an irritant, bronchitis may appear without temperature. It is very simple to diagnose this disease: the patient has a strong cough, his eyes watery after contact with the allergen.

If there is no cough

Not always such a phenomenon as a hard cough in a child is pathological. For example, it may depend on the physiological properties of the baby’s respiratory system. Moreover, the smaller the child’s age, the stronger his breathing. In the first months of a child’s life, the phenomenon can be caused by poor development of muscle fibers and alveoli. Such an anomaly is observed in children from birth to 10 years. However, in the future it usually goes away.

Do not neglect the help of a doctor

Sometimes hard breathing is observed with bronchitis or a more complex disease - bronchopneumonia. You should consult a pediatrician without fail, especially with an increase in noise on the exhale and a rough voice timbre. A conversation with a specialist is also necessary when the exhalation has become too noisy. Your doctor will tell you how to treat hard breathing.

Inhalation is an active process, exhalation does not require intensity, and it must go reflexively. The sound of exhalation also changes in the state when the body has an inflammatory process involving the bronchi. In this situation, exhalation and inhalation are equally audible. A visit to the doctor and an x-ray should be with difficulty breathing, wheezing, severe coughing, as well as shortness of breath.

If the baby has a cough

For the most part, a baby has a cold due to hypothermia. As a result, there is a decrease in immunity, and the infection quickly spreads throughout the weak body. Often, the inflammatory process begins in the mucous membranes of the bronchi. It is accompanied by an increase in sputum.

At this time, the pediatrician, while listening, determines hard breathing and coughing in the child. In addition, there are also wheezing associated with increased secretions of sputum. At the initial stage of malaise, the cough is usually dry, and then, as it grows, it becomes wet. A cough with sharp breathing may let you know about a recent ARVI (not all the secret has left the bronchi).

Hard breathing: causes

Parents should understand that children have a fairly weakened immune system. From the moment of birth, it is only beginning to be developed, and therefore the baby is noticeably susceptible to various diseases. There are several provoking factors that trigger childhood diseases, namely:

• persistent respiratory tract infections;
• strong temperature changes (alternation of cold and hot air);
• the presence of allergens;
• the presence of chemical pathogens (usually they penetrate the body simultaneously with the inhaled air).

If an irritant gets on the mucous membranes of the bronchi, then the inflammatory process begins, swelling appears, and the secretion of bronchial mucus increases.

Little children can hardly tolerate almost all ailments. So, with bronchitis, similar processes can cause the rapid formation of obstruction (clogging) of the bronchi, resulting in acute respiratory failure.

In very rare cases, hard breathing and coughing can be provoked by a disease such as diphtheria: the baby has a fever, and there is fatigue with anxiety. And here you can’t do without consulting a pediatrician . As soon as there is any suspicion of this disease, you need to urgently contact a specialist.

What can mean heavy breathing

Often such a phenomenon is detected as a result of a previously transferred cold. If the baby feels well, there are no wheezing when listening, and the body temperature is normal, then there is nothing to worry about. However, if there is at least one indicator of the above, then you can suspect the presence of some ailments. Here are signs of the most common diseases.

1. Hard breathing appears with a large accumulation of secretions in the airways and bronchi. Such sputum is required to be released outside so that the respiratory ducts do not clog and the pathological process does not begin to develop. An increase in mucus production occurs when the air in the room is too dry, lack of drinking, and no walks on the street. Constant airing of the room, humidification of air, frequent presence on the street will help to correct the situation, but only if the disease is just beginning to develop.
   
2. If strong breathing is accompanied by a dry cough, fever, and wheezing, developing bronchitis can be tolerated. However, only the doctor is able to approve the correct diagnosis after research and obtaining the conclusions of the analyzes. To treat hard breathing in a child should be under the supervision of a pediatrician.
3. Bronchial asthma can only be suspected if heavy breathing occurs with shortness of breath, asthma attacks or worsening health due to physical exertion. At risk are children whose relatives have such a disease.
4. Adenoids or a broken nose. If there were any bumps or falls, then you need to seek help from the otolaryngologist.
5. The mucous wall of the nasal cavity and respiratory passages can swell if irritants are present in the environment. Very often, children are allergic to ticks, dust and much more. An allergist can detect the cause of the negative effects on the body.

What treatment can give

In order to prescribe the correct therapy for hard breathing, it is worth making an appointment with a specialist who will provide information on all its methods and prescribe an effective and appropriate treatment in a short time. And how to treat hard breathing in a child? Many probably care about this question. But more on that later. First you need to find out what such therapy gives:

• increased immunity (immunomodulation);
• protection against infection (there is a recovery of the bronchi and ENT organs);
• increasing the energy of the human body to normal;
• the establishment of the functioning of the vascular lymphatic system and gastrointestinal tract.

On a note

If the formation of noise during breathing in a child is only the initial stage of the disease, then there is no need to buy medications for him. The child should be given more warm liquid to soften the mucus that has remained after the disease. It is also recommended to humidify the air in the room as often as possible, especially in the children's room. In addition, hard breathing, as well as coughing, may appear due to an allergic reaction. If parents suggest such an ailment, then it is necessary to determine its nature and eliminate contact with the irritating substance to the maximum.

Therapy of heavy breathing with folk and medicinal products

There are many ways to treat this phenomenon.

1. If there is a cough, children from 1 to 10 years old are allowed to give extracts of medicinal plants (chamomile flowers, plantain leaves and calendula). Take 1 tbsp. l each type, pour 3 cups of boiling water and insist for about 20 minutes. Strain and drink 0.5 cups of infusion three times a day for 15-20 minutes. before the meal.
2. Such a slurry will help to soften a strong cough and hard breathing: 2 egg yolks, 2 tbsp. l butter (butter), 2 tsp. any honey and 1 tsp. ordinary flour. All this is mixed and consumed in 1 dl. 3-4 times a day for 20 minutes. before meals.
3. If wheezing with sputum occurs, you can apply this recipe: take 2 tbsp. l dried figs, boil it in 1 cup of milk or water. Drink half a glass 2-3 times a day to eliminate hard breathing.
4. Treatment for dry cough can still be carried out using expectorant drugs (bronchodilators - “Berodual”, “Salbutamol”, “Berotek”, “Atrovent” and mucolytics - “Ambroxol”, “Bromhexine”, “Tiloxanol”, “Acetylcysteine”).
5. If a bacterial infection is present, then antibiotics are prescribed (Ampicillin, Cephalexin, Sulbactam, Cefaclor, Rulid, Macropen).

Diagnosis

It is not difficult to determine bronchitis in a child . The diagnosis is made if there are certain complaints, as well as serious symptoms of the disease. Additionally, the pediatrician listens for heavy breathing. Wheezing can be both wet and dry, and often depend on the degree of development of the disease.

Many have probably already learned from this article what hard breathing means and how to deal with it. Of course, no one is safe from various ailments, but you can always find ways to protect your body from all kinds of infections and inflammations.