No doctor can make a correct diagnosis without examining the patient. Therefore, the classic phrase of parents: "Our child coughs without stopping - what to do?" doesn’t tell him anything. Frequent coughing is the first signal of an organism about malfunctions, which should be heeded and for some features already established the root cause of this failure.
Description
Coughing is an important body reflex that allows you to completely clear the airways of both large foreign objects and the smallest fractions of dust that interfere with clean breathing with their presence. A completely healthy baby can cough up to thirteen times a day, and this, according to experts, is considered a common phenomenon that helps cleanse the trachea, lungs and bronchi. Often babies cough after crying, during teething or in the process of eating. A physiological cough is very easy to distinguish from a cold: as a rule, it ends very quickly, and the child continues to do his own business. But what if the child coughs without stopping? What to do in this case should be decided by the doctor, since incorrectly selected therapy can lead to a significant worsening of the situation.
Types of cough
Coughing is not a disease in itself, but it is a clear symptom that has several causes. Only their correct elimination can lead to positive results. A normal physiological phenomenon is a cough, which is not accompanied by an upset of the stool, a runny nose, a rash, or fever. The cause of this phenomenon may be the presence of too dry air in the room, increased salivation and even a sharp change in temperature. But how to help if the child coughs without stopping? What to do? See a doctor or try to cope on your own? To resort to the help of specialists in case of additional symptoms:
- general deterioration in well-being;
- lethargy;
- elevated temperature;
- chest and muscle pains;
- the presence of a cold.
Pathological cough
It is usually divided into wet and dry. It can be strong or intermittent, and sometimes with bouts of vomiting and suffocation. What if the child coughs non-stop? You can solve the problem after determining the cause of this phenomenon. The choice depends entirely on the nature of the cough, so doctors and give this aspect maximum attention.
- Wet - clearly indicates the presence of a viral infection in the respiratory tract. Experts call it productive, since such a cough delivers less discomfort, is accompanied by a qualitative discharge of sputum and, with appropriate treatment, passes quickly.
- Dry - occurs due to irritation of nerve receptors. It can be a foreign body or various infections. The most painful cough occurs with complications of SARS, untreated flu, tonsillitis. It is also the most dangerous, because it leads to the development of inflammation, worsening of the situation and prolonged treatment.
Expert opinion
The child coughs without stopping - what to do? Komarovsky E.O. on this occasion makes a clear verdict - to go to the doctor. He himself is a pediatrician, a candidate of medical sciences, and for his long medical practice has written more than one useful book. Not a single self-respecting doctor will be able to make a correct diagnosis without examining the patient, and even more so will not prescribe him appropriate treatment, ”the doctor believes. There are no cough medicines in medicine, just as there are no separate cures for the head or for the common cold. Each symptom has its own causes, which an experienced specialist is obliged to find out and eliminate. The indecision of most parents leads to the fact that they receive advice from local pharmacy workers who offer them a number of medicines with a wide variety of composition.
What does this lead to?
Before deciding what to do if the child coughs without stopping, at home, you should learn a little information. The lungs of any person are engaged in the constant production of mucus, which contributes to their high-quality cleansing. Its main part is formed in the bronchi, from where it is removed by periodic coughing. But a cough can provoke not only irritation of the respiratory tract, but also various types of pathologies of the central nervous system, which cause a malfunction of the cough center in the brain. The cause may be the development of the following diseases:
- whooping cough - it is characterized by a paroxysmal lingering cough;
- allergies - the causes can be different, a striking example is bronchial asthma;
- bacterial and viral infections - tuberculosis, laryngitis, pneumonia, bronchitis, acute respiratory infections;
- tumors - affect different parts of the respiratory tract and lead to disruption of their functioning;
- chemical irritation - poisoning with paint or gasoline fumes:
- helminthic infestations.
A number of cardiac pathologies can lead to disruption of blood circulation, stagnation in the lungs. Its conclusion will require increased production of sputum, which, in turn, causes a constant cough.
Pharmacy products
What if the child coughs without stopping? Find out the cause of this phenomenon and act directly on the source of development of this unpleasant symptom. Most of the drugs available on the market that are sold do not focus on the cough center in the brain, but on the sputum itself, helping to dilute it and quickly remove it from the bronchi. But the mechanism of their influence is not exactly the same. So, part of these drugs has combined properties, they are able to weaken the signals going to the brain (antitussive function) and thin the sputum. The Broncholitinum used by everyone contains the cough antagonist glaucin, ephedrine, basil oil and citric acid. Typical antitussive representatives include Stoptussin, Tusuprex, Libexin, Glaucin and Pakseladin.
Proper treatment
After making sure the significance of the cough, it remains for us to make it as productive as possible. If the child coughs without stopping, what to do at home? Use only drugs that help relieve this symptom and the correct withdrawal of sputum. Use drugs and alternative methods that improve the functioning of the bronchial mucosa and dilute the mucus in them. For these purposes, a number of medicinal expectorant drugs are used. They have a very different form of release. In the case of young children, it is more advisable to use the medicine in the form of candles and syrups. Older children are shown inhalations, and in complex cases, the doctor may prescribe intravenous and intramuscular injections. All types of expectorant drugs can be divided into two categories:
- natural - created on a plant basis, which include elements useful to the body;
- chemical - a number of pharmaceutical preparations with an artificial composition.
Commercially available and combined, containing substances from both groups, are not the most useful for the children's body. Here it remains to read the composition or turn to natural folk methods of treatment.
Important points
The child coughs without stopping, what should I do? Folk remedies here include a number of mandatory measures that contribute to a better withdrawal of sputum:
- follow the drinking regime - warm drinking in large quantities helps thinning sputum;
- moisten the air in the room - this can be done with ordinary towels (soak them under the tap and place on the batteries in the room);
- check the bedding - perhaps the baby has developed an allergy to one of the detergents with which it is processed;
- pay attention to home plants and objects surrounding the child - their sharp aroma can also cause a sore throat and frequent coughing.
First aid
What if the child coughs without stopping at night? Try to give your baby a gentle massage. In the supine position, the withdrawal of sputum from the lungs becomes difficult, and soft stroking movements will help the baby quickly cough. Use inhalation. This effective method was successfully used by our parents, harvesting a container with hot steam moisturizing the larynx and allowing the bronchi to open qualitatively. Now pharmacies offer us a more convenient and modern method - nebulizers. They are equipped with special nozzles for proper irrigation, and the kit, as a rule, includes an infusion of medicinal herbs of the desired action or mineral water. Such an inhaler is able to quickly calm down even a strong attack of coughing in a child.
Folk recipes
What if the child coughs non-stop? At home, the use of natural medicinal decoctions based on fees from medicinal plants is recommended. It is possible to dilute and remove phlegm qualitatively with the help of coltsfoot, licorice root, marshmallow, black radish juice, thermopsis. A drink based on warm milk with a little soda and honey soothes an irritated throat. It works in three directions at once: it alleviates symptoms, liquefies mucus in the lungs and eliminates pain. Make the baby a compress of radish juice, it is used immediately before bedtime, and if the child does not have a temperature, try warming baths with mustard. After that, be sure to put on warm socks and carefully wrap your baby in a blanket.
Night attack
The child coughs without stopping, what should I do? If a warm drink does not help, the humidity in the room is normal, and inhalation gives a temporary result, stop the attack using the following methods:
- Vertical position - this method promotes better ventilation of the lungs and soothes a cough.
- Medications - they should be taken according to the scheme and doctor's prescription, but in emergency cases they will help stop the attack. Depending on the age of the child, determine the dosage, if necessary, you can call an ambulance and ask them for advice on this matter.
- Grindings - with their help, you can quickly warm the baby's legs or chest. For these purposes, badger and goose fat are often used. Camphor oil has excellent warming capabilities, it is mixed with honey in equal proportions and applied to the chest and back of the baby, avoiding the heart area. After that, be sure to wrap the baby in a warm scarf and put on a comfortable blouse.
If the cough does not stop for ten days, accompanied by additional symptoms - fever, pain in the body, lethargy and drowsiness, the child should be shown to the doctor. In cases of a sharp change in state, impaired consciousness, refusal to eat, drink, apparent difficulty in breathing, immediately call an ambulance.