A wet cough is an organism’s reaction to an infectious-inflammatory process or airway irritation by allergens. In this case, phlegm is formed in the bronchi, which goes out when coughing. In children, the process of discharge of mucus can be difficult. How to treat cough with sputum in a child? And what drugs facilitate the release of bronchial mucus? We will answer these questions in the article.
Causes
Parents are always wary when they notice cough with sputum in children. How to treat a sick child? First of all, it is necessary to establish the cause of the appearance of such symptoms. Doctors believe a wet cough is less dangerous than a dry cough. If sputum leaves, then this means that the bronchi are cleared of mucus and germs.
Wet cough often occurs in infants. At the age of one year, mucous secretions in the nasopharynx can accumulate in children, which must be removed by snotle suction. This is not always a sign of the disease, this phenomenon is also observed in healthy babies. But if the mucus is not removed in time, then it can penetrate the respiratory tract and cause a wet cough.
Healthy children can cough about 15 times during the day. Most often this happens in the morning. This is the norm, in this way the body is freed from microparticles trapped in the respiratory tract.
But often a wet cough is one of the manifestations of infectious diseases of the respiratory system. Such a symptom is noted with the following pathologies:
- bronchitis;
- pneumonia;
- tuberculosis
- lung abscess;
- late stages of influenza and SARS.
With viral respiratory infections (SARS, influenza), a wet cough never appears at the onset of the disease. First, the child's temperature rises and her health worsens. In most cases, a runny nose occurs. Then a dry cough appears. After a few days, sputum begins to separate. This symptom is a sign of a speedy recovery, as pathogens are removed along with mucus. When a wet cough occurs, the fever usually disappears and the general condition improves.
However, coughing up mucus is not always a sign of an infectious disease. Allergic reactions and bronchial asthma are also accompanied by the appearance of a cough with sputum in a child. The treatment of such pathologies is different from the treatment of respiratory infections. In allergic diseases, antihistamines and bronchodilators are most often prescribed, but medications are also needed to facilitate the passage of mucus.
Alarming symptoms
In some cases, a wet cough can be a sign of serious pathologies that require immediate medical examination and therapy. Only a specialist can tell why sputum appeared in a child and how to treat this disease. The following pathological manifestations should cause caution in parents:
- unusual color of sputum (green or rusty);
- an admixture of blood in the mucus;
- wheezing and wheezing in the chest;
- high temperature with a wet cough;
- difficulty breathing
- prolonged wet cough (lasts several weeks or months);
- chest pain
- sudden bouts of wet cough.
When such symptoms appear, the child should be urgently shown to a pediatrician or pediatric pulmonologist. These are signs of serious respiratory diseases. It may be necessary to take sputum for bacteriological analysis to determine the causative agent of the disease.
Type of sputum and possible diseases
In order to understand how to treat cough with sputum in a child, it is necessary to pay attention to the nature of the mucus being separated. Of course, only a specialist can diagnose and prescribe the necessary drugs. But by the appearance of sputum, a possible disease can be assumed.
Bronchial mucus can be of various colors and consistencies:
- Rusty shade. This color of sputum indicates pneumonia.
- Green color. This is a sign of an infectious disease. This color is given by mucus leukocytes that fight the causative agent of the disease. Green sputum is most often observed with bronchitis. The inflammatory process in the bronchi often occurs as a complication of viral respiratory infections.
- Bloody impurity. This is the most dangerous option. Blood in bronchial mucus appears with tuberculosis or heart failure. However, if sputum is difficult to separate, then a small amount of reddish impurity may be present. This is due to the fact that with strained cough in a child, small vessels in the throat may burst.
- With an admixture of pus and an unpleasant odor. This type of sputum is characteristic of lung abscess. This dangerous pathology is a complication of pneumonia or severe flu. Purulent sputum is also separated in bronchiectasis, which develops after previous viral and bacterial infections.
- Vitreous viscous mucus. This type of sputum is most often found in bronchial asthma.
Of particular concern should be the constant allocation of blood when coughing with sputum in a child. Treatment in such cases should not be delayed. With tuberculosis and heart failure, taking classic expectorant drugs is not always effective. Coughing is only one of the manifestations of the pathological process in the lungs or heart. It disappears only after the cure of the underlying pathology.
Drug Classification
How to treat cough with sputum in children? Today, a large number of drugs for the treatment of respiratory diseases are produced. These drugs can be divided into two groups:
- Symptomatic remedies. These drugs do not affect the cause of the disease, but alleviate the unpleasant symptoms. This group includes drugs that stimulate sputum discharge and thin the mucus.
- Etiotropic drugs. Affect the very cause of the appearance of a wet cough.
Preparations for symptomatic treatment are divided into the following groups:
- Expectorant preparations. These drugs act directly on the cough center of the central nervous system. They stimulate the motility of the bronchi and help the mucus to come out.
- Mucolytics. These drugs make sputum more fluid. As a result, the mucus moves away more easily.
- Bronchodilators. They relax the muscles of the bronchi and relieve spasm of the airways.
These funds have different indications for use. For example, at the beginning of a respiratory disease, viscous sputum is often released during coughing in a child. Treatment in this case will be the appointment of mucolytics. These funds will help thin the mucus, and it will easily come out of the bronchi.
Suppose the baby has a wet cough and the sputum goes away. How to treat a child? In such cases, expectorant preparations are indicated. They will help completely release the bronchi from mucus and facilitate breathing.
In a special group of drugs, bronchodilators can be distinguished. These drugs are mainly used for bronchial asthma, accompanied by airway spasm and a wet cough. In some cases, bronchodilators are prescribed for a prolonged course of bronchitis.
The following types of drugs belong to drugs for etiotropic therapy:
- Antibiotics. These funds help fight the causative agents of respiratory infections. However, these drugs are ineffective in viral pathologies.
- Antihistamines. They are used for wet cough, provoked by an allergic reaction or bronchial asthma. They suppress the reaction of the body to exposure to an allergen.
Next, we will consider in detail all of the above groups of drugs.
Is it possible to give antitussive drugs
There are drugs that suppress the cough reflex. These include:
- Sinecode
- Stoptussin;
- "Panatus";
- Codelac Neo;
- Libexin.
It should be remembered that such drugs are strictly contraindicated in case of sputum. They are only suitable for the treatment of dry cough, for example with whooping cough. Often, parents make a big mistake by giving the baby similar drugs for any cough.
If a sputum is released in a child, then it is impossible to suppress a cough with the help of drugs. This will lead to stagnation of mucus in the bronchi and the development of pneumonia. It is necessary to take such drugs that help remove sputum, and do not inhibit the cough reflex.
With viral infections, a cough without sputum in a child often appears. How to treat a baby? Even in this case, antitussive drugs are not always indicated. They are prescribed only with dry painful cough, when mucus is not produced at all. If sputum is formed, but in a very small amount, then expectorants are indicated. In this case, only the doctor can decide what type of drug the child needs.
Mucolytics
Quite often, with a respiratory viral infection and bronchitis in a child, sputum poorly leaves. How to treat this type of cough? In such cases, it is necessary to take funds for liquefying mucus - mucolytics. It is important to remember that delaying sputum in the bronchi is quite dangerous. This can lead to the multiplication of bacteria in the airways and the development of complications.
Absolutely all types of mucolytics are incompatible with antitussive drugs. This combination of drugs can cause dangerous stagnation of sputum and difficulty breathing.
In pediatric practice, the following types of mucolytic agents are most often used:
- "Bromhexine";
- "ATSTs 100";
- "Ambroxol".
Consider these drugs in more detail.
The drug "Bromhexine" is available in the form of tablets or syrup ("Bromhexine Berlin Chemi"). Its use is indicated for cough with sputum that is difficult to separate in a child. Treatment should last no more than 5 days. A longer course of administration is permissible only with the permission of the doctor. Syrup can be given to children from the first days of life, and tablets - from 6 years.
"Bromhexine" can be taken with antibiotics, a mucolytic enhances their antibacterial effect. During the course of treatment, the child should be given as much fluid as possible to drink. This will further dilute sputum.
Bromhexine is also available as a solution for inhalation. When inhaled, the medicine acts much faster than when taken orally. However, before inhalation, you need to consult a doctor. In some cases, this type of treatment can provoke an increase in cough and bronchospasm.
The drug "ACC 100" contains acetylcysteine. This substance breaks the molecular bonds in the bronchial mucus and helps to thin it. This remedy is indicated for coughing with thick sputum in a child. During treatment, the incompatibility of acetylcysteine with most antibiotics should be considered. This does not mean that you need to completely abandon antibiotic therapy. It is only necessary to withstand the two-hour interval between taking mucolytic and antibiotic.
Mucolytic "ACC 100" is produced in the form of granules. They are dissolved in water and taken before meals. The drug can be given to children over 2 years old. In pharmacies, you can also find a medicine called "Fluimucil." This is a complete structural analogue of "ATsS 100".
The drug "Ambroxol" refers to a new generation of mucolytics. It simultaneously dilutes mucus and has expectorant properties. Children's varieties of this medicine are released under the names "Ambrobene" and "Lazolvan." They are produced in the form of syrup or tablets. The liquid form of the medicine can be taken from birth, and tablets from 6 years.
Expectorant
In the treatment of cough with sputum in children, herbal expectorant drugs are most often used. These agents are the safest and rarely cause unwanted side effects.
Expectorant medications are prescribed for sputum fluid consistency. If the mucus is viscous and hardly leaves, then the use of such funds is possible only after a course of treatment with mucolytics.
With a wet cough, the following herbal expectorant medicines are most often used:
- Gedelix. The preparation contains ivy leaf extract. It is released in the form of drops and syrup. The course of treatment should last at least a week. After the cough disappears, it is recommended to take the drug for another 2-3 days. In pharmacies, you can also find the drug "Prospan" with a completely similar composition.
- "Dr. Mom." This is a combined remedy, which includes extracts of ten medicinal herbs. This drug can be taken with viscous sputum, as it has an additional mucolytic effect. The product is available in the form of a syrup. It can be given to children from 3 years. The drug also relieves inflammation in the airways and widens the lumen of the bronchi.
- Mukaltin. It includes the marshmallow root. This plant has expectorant and anti-inflammatory properties. The drug is produced only in tablet form. It can be given to children from 1 year. The medicine is contraindicated if the child has difficulty breathing.
- "Dr. Tyss." This is a syrup based on plantain extract. It acts both as an expectorant and as a mucolytic. Therefore, it is allowed to take with thick sputum. The drug is contraindicated in children under the age of 12 months.
What to do if a cough with sputum in a child occurs annually? How to treat a baby who has only recently left infancy? If the child is already 1 year old, then he can be given Doctor Tyss syrup or Mukaltin tablets. At the age of one year it is allowed to take the drug "Gedelix" in the form of drops. It can be added to various drinks, such as milk or juice.
Antibiotics
Often, when a cough occurs, parents immediately give the child antibiotics. However, such drugs have strict indications for use. They are able to act only on bacteria. With viral infections, antibiotics are absolutely useless.
Only a doctor can prescribe antibacterial drugs, evaluating the results of sputum analysis for microflora. If bacteria are found in the mucus, then this is an indication for the use of antibiotics. The following medicines are used to treat children:
- Augmentin
- Sumamed
- Macropen.
Children are usually prescribed suspension forms of the above antibiotics. The course of treatment lasts 7-10 days.
Simultaneously with antibiotic therapy, funds are prescribed for symptomatic treatment. Together with antibiotics, it is necessary to take mucolytics and expectorant drugs to facilitate the passage of mucus.
Often with viral respiratory infections, a cough appears with sputum in a child. How to treat such diseases? Taking antibiotics is advisable only on the 5-7th day of a cold. It is during this period that the bacterial microflora joins the viruses. However, only a specialist can prescribe such medicines. Unreasonable use of antibiotics can lead to a decrease in immunity, which is necessary to fight viruses.
After a course of antibiotic therapy, children are usually prescribed probiotics. This helps to restore the intestinal microflora, which can be disturbed after taking the medicine.
Bronchodilators and antihistamines
Bronchodilators are drugs that eliminate bronchospasm and improve mucus excretion. In most cases, they are prescribed for a wet cough, provoked by bronchial asthma. Less commonly, doctors use such drugs to treat long-term bronchitis.
In no case should these drugs be given to children on their own. These are prescription drugs that can be taken only on the recommendation of a doctor. Their use is indicated only if the child is diagnosed with asthma or prolonged bronchitis.
It is important to remember that not all types of bronchodilators can be taken with the appearance of sputum. Many drugs in this group (for example, "Broncholitin") are intended exclusively for the treatment of dry cough.
In pediatric practice, the following bronchodilators are used:
- Salbutamol
- Berodual;
- Fenoterol.
These drugs are available in the form of aerosols and inhalation solutions.
How to treat cough with sputum in children, if it is provoked by exposure to an allergen? In this case, it is impossible to do without taking antihistamines. These drugs eliminate the very cause of this type of cough. They suppress the body's immune response to allergen invasion.
Children are usually prescribed a new generation of antihistamines that do not cause drowsiness or lethargy. With a wet cough of an allergic etiology, the following drugs are used (in the form of drops or syrups):
- Zirtek;
- "Zodak";
- Erius
- Cetrin
- Ketotifen.
If sputum does not go away well with allergies, then mucolytics and expectorant drugs are used simultaneously with antihistamines.
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Folk remedies
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Doctors Recommendations
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- In the room where the sick child is located, it is necessary to maintain an air temperature of +18 ... +20 degrees.
- A wet cough is always worse when in a dusty room. Therefore, it is necessary to get rid of all dust accumulators, often ventilate the room and do wet cleaning.
- With a wet cough, you need to give your child to drink plenty of fluids. This contributes to an easier separation of mucus.
- If the child does not have a high temperature, then one should not refuse small walks in the fresh air.
- It is necessary to ensure that the child does not swallow sputum when coughing, but spit it. Otherwise, the mucus with bacteria will get back into the body.
Following these simple measures will help the child recover faster and get rid of a wet cough.