Coughing is a reflex process. Thanks to him, the airways are restored. Cough cannot be called a disease, but getting rid of it can be quite difficult. Sometimes the causes of its occurrence are detected incorrectly. In this case, an erroneous treatment can even harm and cause great damage to health.
Why does the baby cough for a long time
Does the child have a cough for a long time ? It is necessary to observe the frequency and duration of this phenomenon. Coughing cleanses the airways. Sputum and dust are thus excreted from the body. Most often, the cough is short-term and periodic. But if it drags on, then you need to check if there is a temperature, pay attention to sleep and appetite. At the first signs of the disease (it can be a runny nose, diarrhea, etc.), the child is best taken to a doctor.
What cough signals
It may be a symptom of the disease. When a child does not cough for a long time , this may be the beginning of a sore throat, SARS, sinusitis, laryngitis, pharyngitis. He also accompanies diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, tracheitis and bronchitis. The intensity depends on the type of ailment.
Is cough always a disease?
This is an erroneous opinion. If the child does not cough for a long time, this is not always a sign of infection. It can be due to bronchial contraction. The latter occurs with asthma, obstructive bronchitis, due to fluid or small objects swallowed that enter the respiratory tract.
If the child does not cough for a long time, this may even be a sign of an allergy. There are many reasons - wool, dust, pollen. In this case, it is necessary to identify and get rid of the allergen.
Swallowed reaction
If the cough caused a foreign body, which was in the respiratory tract, then it is very strong, passing into suffocation. In this case, the skin turns blue, consciousness is impaired, in some cases the voice immediately disappears. If possible, you need to independently remove all unnecessary from the respiratory tract and be sure to call an ambulance.
Worms
If the child does not cough for a long time, what should I do? This is not always associated with the common cold. Oddly enough, ordinary worms can also be the cause. All pinworm larvae usually form in the lung tissue. As a result - respiratory tract irritation. Before entering the digestive tract, the larvae first enter the mouth, are swallowed, and thus end up in the stomach. In this case, it is recommended to take anthelmintic drugs.
What to do with ARVI
When a child does not cough and runny nose for a long time, most often this is a consequence of the disease. With SARS, it is most common. The main symptoms are as follows:
- for several hours or even days, the cough does not stop;
- high temperature, more than 37 degrees;
- weakness, the child is moody and restless, may refuse to eat;
- after a while, the cough turns from dry to wet.
During this period, continuous monitoring of the child must be ensured to track changes. Sore throat is characteristic of pharyngitis . Laryngitis is characterized by a hoarse and slightly "barking" cough. When tracheitis, the cough is loud, with pronounced chest pain. Thoracic and loud, with wheezing and a lot of sputum, are characteristic of bronchitis. With flu, it is painful and dry.
Causes of a protracted cough
For proper treatment, it is necessary to find out the cause of the symptoms. If a child doesn’t have a cough and runny nose for a long time, then most likely it’s a cold that has not been treated, and the infection has returned to the body that has not yet become stronger. Mycoplasma is considered the most aggressive, then - pneumocysts. When combined, the temperature rises up to 38 degrees. There is weakness, sweating.
Pathogens
Coughing comes from fungi or pulmonary chlamydia. But this happens very rarely. The worst and most serious cause is tuberculosis. Babies can cough from cytomegalovirus.
Pathogenic microbacteria without an organism cannot exist independently. The external environment is disastrous for them. Infection of another person can only occur through direct contact. Prolonged coughing in infants (about two weeks) may indicate pneumocystosis, chlamydia and mycoplasmosis.
If a child does not cough for a long time, how to treat? It is impossible to destroy the above microorganisms with home methods, only with drugs. Therefore, you need to see a doctor.
How to treat a protracted cough
The child does not cough for a long time. What to do in such cases? If the causes of the problem are established, then treatment will not cause difficulties. Cough suppressants with menthol, camphor, etc. are prescribed. Antibiotics help expectorate sputum, provide rapid restoration of the epithelium.
Means "Bromhexine", produced in tablets and ampoules, getting into the body, is converted to ambroxol. Already on the third day, the effect of its use is noticeable. If the cough is caused by bronchitis and asthma, then bronchodilator drugs are prescribed.
Solving the problem using folk remedies
Medicines can be taken simultaneously with herbs and decoctions. The most effective inhalations are decoctions, which contain thyme, mint and pine buds. If the cough is very strong, then the baked pears and melons, as well as the juice of currants and viburnum, which they drink, adding honey, help well.
Dry cough without a cold and fever is perfectly treated with steam inhalation. Usually they use potatoes cooked in their skins. They breathe for 15 minutes, bending over the pan and covering themselves with a blanket so that the steam does not come out.
To soften the cough, decoctions of apples are used. Fresh cabbage juice with sugar or tangerine tincture for alcohol from the peels of these fruits helps well. Lingonberry juice, in which honey or sugar is added, also brings relief. It helps sputum discharge. It is taken during the day for one tablespoon. If a child does not cough for a long time at night, then so that he does not pester, before going to bed, you need to eat fresh lettuce. If they are not at hand, then you can use cabbage.
If a child does not go through a cough and runny nose for a long time, then rinsing the throat with fresh beet juice is considered very effective for treatment. A glass of liquid is heated in a water bath. Rinse is carried out for two minutes, then the liquid is swallowed.
If the child does not cough and runny nose for a long time, there is no temperature, this can signal the onset of a serious infectious disease. Often, the above symptoms are accompanied by sore throat. Therefore, you must urgently consult a doctor. Otherwise, such ailments as sinusitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis may develop.
If cough persists after therapy
There are also cases when the disease does not want to recede. And then what if the child does not cough for a long time after treatment? There are certain dates when it disappears. Usually, coughing stops within two weeks, but can persist for up to a month as a residual phenomenon. In this case, pathogenic microorganisms are excreted from the body. And over time, the cough disappears. But if improvement does not occur, then you should consult a doctor again.
The opinion of a famous pediatrician. If the child does not cough for a long time
Komarovsky notes that there are two groups of drugs for cough: expectorant and drugs that are used for whooping cough. However, it is worth remembering that infants cannot be mucolytics, since they are dangerous before the age of two.
It is believed that this is only an external manifestation of the disease. A cough indicates that not everything is in order with the body. Therefore, first of all, you need to look for the root cause. Infection can be excluded if there is no temperature. In this case, it may be an allergy.
What to do, if the child does not cough with sputum for a long time ? For relief, you need to drink a lot so that the blood liquefies, and, accordingly, mucus along with it. The air in the room should be cool, but a little moist, not dry. Favorably affected walks in the fresh air.
Dr. Komarovsky recommends the use of the following types of drugs:
- antitussive drugs;
- specialized cough narcotic drugs: Ethylmorphine, Codeine, Dimemorphan.
These drugs block the cough reflex in the brain. Narcotic drugs are rarely used. They are prescribed only by a doctor who monitors their intake. The following symptoms are the basis for the use of narcotic drugs: a painful, dry, debilitating cough that does not respond to treatment with other drugs. The simultaneous use of expectorant and conventional antitussive drugs is strictly prohibited!
Also, this method involves the use of certain non-narcotic drugs, such as Glaucin, Butamirat, Oxeladine. They also block the cough reflex, but differ from narcotic drugs in that they are not addictive and do not inhibit the functioning of the brain.