Children are prone to various infections much more often than adults, they get sick more severely. One of the most common serious illnesses that some parents do not take seriously is laryngitis. It is easy to confuse it with a common cold, not always a child is even shown to a doctor. But unlike conventional ARI, a rather dangerous disease is laryngitis in children. Treatment at home is possible in mild cases and only after consulting a doctor. Indeed, without the necessary medical care, this disease can cause laryngospasm and respiratory arrest. Therefore, all parents need to know the symptoms of laryngitis in order to see a doctor on time.
Diagnosis of the disease
The doctor makes a diagnosis of “laryngitis” after examining the larynx of the child. After all, the main symptoms of the disease are inflammation of the vocal cords.
Severe redness and swelling of the larynx are visible. And by what symptoms can parents determine that the baby begins laryngitis?
- Hoarseness of voice, change of its timbre. It is difficult for the child to speak, in severe cases the voice disappears completely.
- Dryness or burning in the throat, pain when swallowing.
- Dry barking cough.
- Runny nose.
- Enlarged lymph nodes.
- The temperature with laryngitis in children is not always, but often rises to 39 degrees.
- Chills, weakness, anxiety.
- Shortness of breath, shortness of breath, often turning into a hoarse.
Types of Laryngitis
1. Catarrhal laryngitis is the mildest form of the disease. With it, the temperature does not always rise. It manifests itself as a dry cough, sore throat and hoarseness.
2. Hypertrophic laryngitis develops after frequent cases of the disease. Small nodules appear on the vocal cords. But the symptoms are the same: cough, perspiration, hoarseness.
3. Atrophic laryngitis in children does not occur, because it is characterized by severe thinning of the laryngeal mucosa. Cough with this disease is constant, while streaks of blood and purulent crusts leave.
4. Occupational laryngitis is also rare in children. Unless those who are seriously engaged in vocals.
5. Chronic laryngitis most often develops on the basis of allergies. The child is tormented by a dry cough and sore throat, hoarseness. It can also occur with frequent colds.
6. Acute laryngitis in a child of 3 years is most often. It can be caused by various reasons and sometimes it is very difficult.
Complications after laryngitis
The structure of the larynx in a child is very different from the larynx of an adult. The softness of tissues, a large number of mast cells and its funnel-shaped structure lead to the fact that laryngitis in children can cause serious complications. Home treatment is often not possible because of this. In children over 6 years of age, laryngitis is not considered a dangerous disease, it is easier and very rarely causes complications. And the kids suffer not only from the disease itself, but also from its consequences. Most often, in children, laryngitis causes the appearance of symptoms of false croup. The tissues of the larynx swell, which causes shortness of breath and shortness of breath. The attack of false croup itself usually happens at night. The child begins to choke, coughs. It is difficult for him to breathe; when breathing, wheezing is clearly audible. Heart failure, tachycardia develops, the skin around the lips and at the tips of the fingers turns blue. The attack can end itself in half an hour, and in severe cases, laryngeal edema can lead to suffocation and respiratory arrest. In order not to bring to such consequences, at the first sign of croup, you need to give your child immediate help. It turns out that laryngitis is not so harmless in a child.
What to do with an attack of false croup
- Call an ambulance.
- Provide the child with an influx of fresh air, but not cold.
- Plant him, free from tight clothes.
- Make a hot foot bath.
- Of the drugs, only inhalation with a nebulizer is permissible, best with mineral water or saline. Any medications can cause allergies and spasm of the larynx.
- The air that the child breathes must be humidified. You can put a basin of hot water near it, hang a wet towel, or more often take the baby to the bathroom and turn on the hot water.
- You can let your child breathe over a hot soda solution.
- It is not advisable to eat or drink during an attack, since laryngeal edema can cause food to enter the respiratory tract.
Causes of the disease
Most often, children attending child care facilities are affected. Constant contact with a large number of people who may be infected with viruses, as well as nervous stress due to separation from the mother, make the child vulnerable. Laryngitis in a child, 2 years old of whom, is a fairly common disease, but children older than 5 years are very rarely affected. What causes it?
- Viruses, most often acute respiratory viral infections or influenza, but laryngitis can also develop when infected with whooping cough, diphtheria or scarlet fever.
- Allergens: tobacco smoke, the smell of paint or perfumes, dust, animal hair or food. Help with laryngitis for children prone to allergies should be provided immediately so as not to bring laryngospasm and stenosis.
- Some drugs, especially in the form of a spray, the jet of which can cause spasm of the larynx.
- Feature of the development of the baby. Some babies develop lymphatic-hypoplastic diathesis from birth. They are prone to frequent colds and the appearance of edema.
- Very hot drinks or spicy foods.
- Severe stress or psychological trauma can also cause laryngitis in children.
Home treatment
The child needs bed rest and calm. It is better if mom is near, so the baby will be less nervous. It is very important not to let the child scream and talk a lot.
The air in the room should be humid, it must be regularly ventilated. It is impossible during the illness to feed the baby very hot, cold or spicy food, give him carbonated drinks or seeds. Food should be light and high in calories, and fluids should be drunk as much as possible. Need dry warming compresses on the neck. For these purposes, it is not recommended to use ointments with a strong odor. Distracting procedures are also used for treatment: warm foot baths, mustard plasters or inhalations. You can make them the old fashioned way - above the steam, but nebulizers are best used to
treat laryngitis in children. Treatment at home is possible with the help of various folk remedies. But it is worth remembering that some of them can cause allergies, which are often the cause of laryngitis. It is not recommended to give babies warm milk with honey or herbal preparations.
How to treat laryngitis
You can not give the child any drugs without a doctor's prescription. Strong odors and flavors are not recommended, as they can cause allergies, often causing laryngitis in children. Treatment at home involves taking anti-inflammatory, antitussive, antihistamines and antispasmodic drugs prescribed by your doctor. With laryngitis, which developed under the influence of the virus, antibiotics are useless, on the contrary, they can even worsen the situation. What helps with this disease?
The best treatment for laryngitis is inhalation with a nebulizer. For this you need to use special solutions recommended by your doctor: Ambroxol, Eufilin, Prednisolone and others. On your own, before the arrival of the pediatrician, you can make the baby inhalation with saline or alkaline mineral water. Physiotherapy procedures, such as electrophoresis, are very effective.
Medicines
1. An important cure for laryngitis for children is some kind of antihistamine. Zirtek, Zodak, Claritin, Suprastin and others relieve swelling well, even if it is not caused by an allergic reaction.
2. Often doctors prescribe sprays to relieve inflammation of the larynx or lozenges. But it should be borne in mind that most of them can not be used for children under 5 years old. The safest drugs are: IRS 19, Hexoral, Grammidin, Stopangin and some others.
3. Often there is a strong cough with laryngitis in a child. To help him fall asleep, the doctor may recommend antitussive drugs: Libexin, Stoptussin, Sinecode and others. And when the cough becomes wet, you need to take expectorants: “ACC”, marshmallow or thermopsis syrup, “Bronhosan”, “Lazolvan” and others.
4. With a strong increase in temperature, the child should be given an antipyretic: “Ibuprofen”, “Paracetomol” or “Panadol”.
5. An important means of preventing laryngeal spasm and relieving swelling of the mucosa are antispasmodic and diuretic drugs, such as No-Shpa and Furosemide.
6. In very rare cases, if a bacterial infection has joined the disease, antibiotics are prescribed: Amoxiclav, Cefix, Clarithromycin and others.
Disease prevention
Usually, laryngitis occurs only in preschool children. In order to prevent its occurrence, it is necessary to strengthen the child’s immunity: he must eat right, enough to walk in the fresh air. Protect your baby from allergens and strong odors, especially tobacco smoke. It is necessary to treat chronic diseases in time and eliminate the foci of infection, for example, caries. The vocal cords need to be protected and taught the child to speak in a quiet voice and not scream. During the period of influenza epidemics, it is better to give the baby additionally immunostimulating agents: Anaferon, Immunal, or others recommended by the doctor. To protect against infections, use "Oxolinic" ointment, and for older children it is useful to gargle with a decoction of sage. To protect the baby from hypothermia and colds, dress him in the weather, if he is still in a stroller, do not walk for a long time in the cold. It is very important in the nursery to regularly do wet cleaning and to accustom the baby to observe the rules of personal hygiene.