Dyspnea in children: causes, symptoms and treatment

Rapid breathing, which is significantly higher than normal, is called shortness of breath, but this is not always a symptom of pathology. To determine the causes of shortness of breath in children, the condition of the child, age and related factors should be assessed. The number of breaths per minute can be estimated at home. This is best done when the baby is sleeping. Put a palm on the chest, and take a stopwatch in the other. The norm depends on age:

• up to 60 times from birth to six months;
• up to 50 - from six months to a year;
• up to 40 - from a year to five years;
• up to 25 - from five to ten years;
• up to 20 - from ten to fourteen years.

Sometimes frequent breathing is a consequence of the immaturity of the respiratory system. If this condition is repeated regularly and the results differ significantly from the normative, then you need to visit a doctor and undergo an examination.

Causes of difficulty breathing

Dyspnea is a consequence of respiratory failure , past illnesses and certain health conditions. There are several causes of shortness of breath in children. Due to the fact that the respiratory system is considered fully formed by the age of seven, small deviations in its functioning up to this age are not considered a pathology. Natural factors that provoke shortness of breath include:

• prolonged and intense crying;
• large physical exertion;
• stress;
• the ingress of foreign objects into the respiratory system.

The following conditions can cause dyspnea in children:

1. Respiratory system diseases - asthma, bronchitis.
2. Viral and catarrhal diseases, accompanied by dry cough, swelling of the larynx, shortness of breath.
3. Respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants resulting from immaturity of the lungs.
4. Congenital heart defect. In this case, shortness of breath in a baby occurs even with very little physical exertion.
5. Anemia. Due to the lack of red blood cells and hemoglobin, the child has difficulty breathing.
6. Physical exercise. When performing certain exercises, breathing is restored, and shortness of breath disappears.
7. Inhalation of allergens. For example, plant pollen, pet hair, food irritants.

Shortness of breath as a symptom of certain diseases

In some cases, shortness of breath (shortness of breath) in a child indicates the following health problems:

• pneumonia;
• obstructive bronchitis;
• allergy;
• chest injuries;
• initial manifestations of bronchial asthma;
• inflammatory processes in the respiratory system;
• diseases of the nervous system;
• diabetes;
• pulmonary failure;
• obesity;
• diseases of a cardiovascular nature;
• the occurrence of neoplasms;
• infection of the body;
• anemia.

Classification of dyspnea

Respiratory difficulties are physiological and pathological. Consider the types, causes and symptoms of shortness of breath. According to the duration, they distinguish:

• acute - lasts about half an hour;
• subacute - persists for several days;
• chronic - regular relapses.

In the form of breathing:

• Inspiratory - shortness of breath on inhalation, a narrowing or blocking of the upper respiratory tract acts as its provocateur. It occurs with diphtheria of the larynx, acute respiratory infections.
• Expiratory - difficulty breathing on an exhalation associated with narrowing of the bronchi due to swelling of the mucous membranes, inflammation in the bronchi, spasm or accumulation of mucus.
• Mixed - breathing problems on inhalation and exhalation, provoked by a variety of reasons.

With various diseases, shortness of breath in a child is:

• metabolic - with acidosis;
• psychogenic - with convulsions or severe stress;
• cardiac - with pathology of the heart muscle;
• pulmonary - as a result of impaired ventilation and gas exchange of the lungs;
• hypoventilation - found in newborns who have suffered a birth injury;
• cerebral - with damage to the respiratory center.

Depending on the complaints, clinic, and causes, dyspnea varies in severity:

• very severe - difficulty breathing at rest;
• severe - shortness of breath exacerbates when walking, frequent stops are necessary;
• medium - occurs during normal movement;
• mild - respiratory failure occurs when walking fast, climbing stairs or uphill;
• initial - during exercise or regular walking.

How to understand and what to do if a child has shortness of breath?

Rapid, labored breathing, observed even at rest, is characterized as shortness of breath. Its severity is different, for example, a child in this state can feel good, play, eat with appetite. However, any physical exertion increases shortness of breath and leads to a deterioration in the condition of the baby. Intercostal spaces are drawn in, and cyanosis appears around the mouth and wings of the nose. Shortness of breath is accompanied by:

• enhanced secretion by the bronchial glands;
• spasm of the smooth muscles of the bronchi;
• swelling of the mucous membrane of the branches of the respiratory throat;
• violation of the patency of the trachea.

An attack can occur at any time of the day, so parents need to know how to alleviate the condition of the child before the doctor arrives.

Helping a baby who has shortness of breath for the first time:

• Do not panic, as your panic state will intensify his attack;
• reassure the child;
• provide access to fresh air in the room where the baby is;
• create humid air in the room by hanging a wet rag or towel on the battery;
• provide the baby with free breathing by removing clothes that tighten his stomach and chest;
• put a warm heating pad on your feet or make a hot foot bath;
• give the child warm water;
• Dissolve five grams of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) in a glass of boiling water and ask the baby to inhale the vapors.

Dyspnea in a newborn premature baby

In babies who are born prematurely, the risk of pathologies increases due to an imperfect gas exchange process and difficulties with adaptation to external conditions. One symptom of such conditions is severe shortness of breath. During the day, the baby's breathing changes. In a dream, the respiratory rate is 30–50, and during wakefulness it is 50–70. When breathing quickens by ten or more percent, this indicates a shortness of breath in the child, the causes, types and methods of elimination of which can be the following. In the absence of diseases, tachypnea appears when:

• fever;
• excitement;
• high ambient temperature;
• overheating.

The cause of shortness of breath in a newborn can be caused by:

• fibroelastosis;
• hemolytic anemia;
• lung disease
• vascular disease;
• idiopathic cardiac hypertrophy;
• Fallot's disease (heart disease);
• disorders of the central nervous system.

In addition, if the child is short of breath, possible causes of difficulty in breathing can be caused by the ingestion of foreign objects in the respiratory tract, as well as rhinitis, inflammation of the larynx or lungs, bronchitis, pneumothorax, and other conditions. Pathological respiratory disorders associated with damage to the cardiovascular and nervous system:

• high intracranial pressure, the cause of which is a birth injury;
• meningitis;
• convulsive syndrome;
• encephalitis;
• dropsy of the brain.

There are several degrees of respiratory failure:

• Hypoxemic coma - no consciousness, arrhythmic breathing, frequent. The veins on the neck are swollen, cyanosis.
• Breathing more than 50 percent of the norm and becomes superficial. There is sticky sweat, pallor, the dermis acquires an earthy hue.
• At 25 percent faster breathing, this is a moderate degree. The skin is pale, near the lips - cyanosis, there are signs of tachycardia.
• Mild - shortness of breath is minor and occurs in a restless state, there is an increased heartbeat, a slight cyanosis near the mouth.

Treatment of dyspnea consists in eliminating the factors that provoked it, and since there are many reasons, the approaches to therapy are different. However, the conduct of the following activities is general and consists in the following:

• Maintaining a constant ambient temperature. A premature baby is put on a hat on his head, wrapped in a warm diaper and placed in a special incubator (couvez), in which the same temperature is maintained.
• Creating a certain level of humidity.
• Regular turning of the baby in a couve.
• Feeding and prevention of hypoglycemia.
• Normalization of the gas composition of the blood using a ventilator (artificial lung ventilation).

It is important to remember that shortness of breath that has arisen against the background of pathologies requires urgent hospitalization of the newborn, otherwise this condition can lead to death.

Difficult and frequent breathing in newborns

Respiratory failure may occur in the baby immediately after birth or after a few months. Several causes of shortness of breath in a newborn baby are known:

• getting into the respiratory tract of a foreign object, breathing is accompanied by wheezing;
• penetration into the internal organs, including the lungs of the baby, viruses. As a result, there is a lack of oxygen and the lungs have to work with heavy loads;
• shortness of breath when a baby is born due to cesarean section indicates the development of pneumonia;
• heart defects and other genetic abnormalities also cause shortness of breath;
• nasal congestion or physiological rhinitis, when feeding, can cause shortness of breath in the baby;
• in a child up to a year, various allergic reactions, bronchial asthma act as provocateurs of shortness of breath;
• respiratory diseases, which are accompanied by sore throat, nasal congestion, cough, fever, prevent the baby from breathing freely.

Parents can suspect shortness of breath by the following symptoms:

• attacks of causeless cough and suffocation;
• scared look of the baby;
• rapid or labored breathing;
• the appearance of wheezing;
• the baby makes an attempt to take air in his mouth.

In addition, you can count the number of breaths in a minute. At the slightest suspicion of the appearance of dyspnea in a baby, you need to contact specialists to provide qualified medical care. The most dangerous complication of this disease is respiratory arrest, the cause of which is increased lung function for a long time and swelling of the tissues of the respiratory system.

Respiratory failure during exercise

The causes of shortness of breath in a child during exercise are different. Often the occurrence of shortness of breath in a baby due to physical exertion is a common phenomenon that disappears after five minutes and does not require treatment. If respiratory failure when climbing stairs or running is also manifested by blue in the eye area, nasolabial triangle or cyanosis of the dermis, then this phenomenon signals heart problems. The reason lies in the deterioration of the venous outflow, insufficient oxygen saturation of the blood and a decrease in hemoglobin concentration.

Rapid breathing is one of the first symptoms of heart failure, which appears only during exercise or is observed constantly. If the baby's breathing problems occur paroxysmally and are combined with blue skin, then such symptoms are characteristic of some congenital heart defects.

Shortness of breath in certain diseases

The cause of shortness of breath in a child with a cold is nasal congestion, sore throat, fever, rhinitis or a condition when the disease is in an advanced stage and complications have already appeared. With ARVI, this symptom is quite common and is characterized by:

• feeling of lack of air;
• inability to breathe fully;
• effort is exhaled.

Enlarged glands and fever with angina lead to a lack of oxygen and provoke shortness of breath. To alleviate the condition of the child, before the doctor arrives, it is recommended to put him to bed, give him a drink as often as possible, bring down the temperature. If there is wheezing on inhalation, a child's barking cough and shortness of breath - the reason most likely lies in the pathology of the respiratory system. Presumably developed croup. The problem with breathing is provoked by the inflammatory process and narrowing of the lumen of the trachea. Cough and shortness of breath can also be observed together with asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Therapy of dyspnea in a child

Treatment depends on the causes of respiratory failure. If the disease is a provoking factor, then complex therapy aimed at eliminating it is recommended. Otherwise, complications and an increase in the frequency of seizures are possible. Thus, the causes and treatment of dyspnea in children are interrelated. The selection of drugs, as well as the dosage, the scheme for their administration is carried out individually. An approximate list of medications that are prescribed to combat this ailment:

• Bronchodilators - Salbutamol, Atrovent.
• Bronchodilators - Fenoterol, Eufillin, Clenbuterol.
• Cardiac glycosides - Digoxin, Korglikon.
• Glucocorticosteroids - Pulmicort.
• Antiallergic - Nalkrom, Claritin, Fenistil.
• Mucolytics - Ambroxol.
• Expectorant - "Mukaltin."
• Antitussive - Broncholitin.

The treatment doctor will tell you about the features of treating the symptoms of shortness of breath in a child and the reasons that provoked them. Self-medication is not recommended.

Prevention

Following these steps will help prevent breathing problems:

• daily walks in the fresh air;
• passing planned medical examinations;
• moderate regular physical activity;
• gentle hardening;
• diet by age;
• treatment of diseases of the upper respiratory tract;
• quitting smoking in the presence of the baby.

For the purpose of prevention, it is possible to use alternative medicine to strengthen the immune system and respiratory system. Before using them, you need to consult your doctor. The most commonly used recipes are:

• A decoction of chamomile and lemon balm taken in equal parts. Drink several sips during the day.
• Infusion of hawthorn, chamomile, St. John's wort and lemon balm (mixed in equal amounts). It has a strengthening effect.
• A mixture of half a lemon juice, three tablespoons of honey and a clove of garlic. Take five grams daily.

Preventive measures depend on the type of respiratory failure. With physiological dyspnea, special attention is paid to the physical activity of the baby and proper nutrition, and timely treatment of pathological processes that provoke shortness of breath prevents the development of attacks.

If a child develops shortness of breath, it is advisable to consult a doctor immediately, as this may be a symptom of a serious illness (heart failure, bronchial asthma, neoplasm).