How to cure a persistent cough in a child

A child has a persistent cough if this symptom is observed for more than three weeks in a row. In children, this cough is usually more severe than in adult patients, since the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract are more sensitive and more irritated when coughing.

A persistent cough in children may be a sign of a serious illness, such as bronchial asthma.

Normally, a person can experience up to 10-12 cough impulses per day. A prolonged cough after certain diseases of the respiratory system (for example, bronchitis), the intensity of which gradually decreases, is a residual phenomenon and does not interfere with the healing process.

In the same case, if the intensity does not decrease, and even more so when it increases, a prolonged cough indicates improper treatment and progression of the pathology.

Self-medication of a cough in children, especially a prolonged one, should not be done; you must consult a doctor and follow all his recommendations.

How to treat a persistent cough in children

Treatment of persistent cough in children, both dry and wet, is prescribed by a doctor depending on the cause of the disease and taking into account many factors (age, weight, etc.).

When coughing with sputum that is difficult to separate, the patient is prescribed mucolytic drugs, which help thin the mucus, and expectorants, which facilitate the removal of sputum from the respiratory tract.

Sometimes, with a dry cough in the absence of mucus accumulations, antitussive drugs may be indicated, but the need for them rarely arises - only when attacks of unproductive cough become painful, debilitating.

Inhalations for children are carried out using a nebulizer

In the presence of an infectious process, depending on the type of pathogen, the patient may be prescribed antibiotics, antimycotic, and antiviral drugs. If you have an allergic cough, you need to minimize the patient's contact with the allergen. The use of antihistamines may also be required.

Often, for a prolonged cough, drugs are prescribed that have a complex effect (mucolytic, expectorant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial).

Mostly in pediatric practice, antitussive drugs are used in the form of syrup. They are convenient and safe to take for the youngest patients (unlike tablets that a baby can inhale) and easy to dose.

A good therapeutic effect is provided by inhalations, which are carried out for children using a nebulizer (strictly in the presence of parents or other adults). This allows the drug to be delivered directly to the area of ​​inflammation. For inhalation, use saline solution, alkaline mineral water, as well as solutions of medications (for example, expectorants based on ambroxol).

Steam inhalations are contraindicated for pediatric patients; moreover, they are ineffective for a prolonged cough.

In order to speed up convalescence, physiotherapeutic procedures, breathing exercises, and massage can be prescribed.

About medications

There are two main groups of medications for treatment: expectorants and cough medicines. The first ones intensify the cough, the second ones, on the contrary, block it. Let's take a closer look at the effect of both groups of drugs on the child's body.

Cough medicines

Imagine a situation where quite a lot of mucus has accumulated in the lungs.
The child naturally coughs to get rid of it, since this is a protective reaction of the body. In such a situation, quite often parents give their child various cough medications, sometimes without even consulting a doctor. And these medications begin to “drown out” the cough. At first glance, it seems that the situation has improved, but in reality everything is not so good. The fact is that all that mucus that should have been removed from the body will remain inside and accumulate in even greater quantities in the lungs!

In such conditions, in the presence of an abundance of sputum, bacteria will begin to multiply in the lungs, and, instead of improvement, we will get worse in the form of pneumonia.

Expectorants

Now about another group of medications called expectorants. Such medications contribute to a significant increase in the amount of mucus, but at the same time, the mucus becomes more liquid, and it becomes easier for the child to cough it up.

Let's imagine that the baby has an excess amount of sputum. In this case, when expectorants are prescribed, he will cough even more.

Children have one feature that makes the situation much more complicated than for adults. The fact is that during coughing, the respiratory muscles work very intensively, which in children are much weaker than in adults, which means that it is much more difficult for children to cough up the collected phlegm. This is especially true when taking expectorant medications produces even more mucus. As a result of this treatment, wheezing very often appears.

Therefore, never give your children expectorants on their own; be sure to consult a doctor.

The most dangerous thing when treating a persistent cough is to prescribe blocking and expectorant drugs at the same time. In this case, the situation may worsen significantly.

From all this we can draw one simple conclusion: there is simply no “magic pill” here.

In addition to phlegm, snot, which accumulates in the throat over time, can also be the cause.

Folk remedies for persistent cough

Parents often ask the question, how to treat a persistent cough in a child using folk remedies? It is believed that such treatment may be more effective than taking pharmaceutical drugs, and is also safe. This opinion is deeply erroneous. The effectiveness of folk remedies is lower than that of pharmaceuticals, so they can only be used as additional therapy - either in combination with drug treatment, or independently at the recovery stage, as maintenance therapy.

Black radish juice with honey is a popular cough remedy for children.

The safety profile of most folk remedies has not been studied, however, medicinal herbs are much more likely to cause allergic reactions than pharmaceuticals, and it is difficult to maintain the dosage of the active substance when taking them. For these reasons, treatment with traditional medicine in children should be carried out strictly under medical supervision, only in cases where it is justified.

Below are several popular folk recipes for a lingering cough.

1. Onion broth . For a wet cough, use a remedy for the preparation of which you need to chop 1 medium onion, add 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to the mixture. The mixture is brought to a boil and simmered over low heat for 30 minutes. The finished product is given to the patient 1 spoon 2-3 times a day.
2. Black radish juice with honey . Used for severe cough. To prepare it, radish juice and liquid honey are mixed in a 1:1 ratio and given to the child 1 teaspoon 3-4 times a day.
3. Milk with soda . It is used for prolonged dry cough caused by inflammation of the upper respiratory tract (pharyngitis, laryngitis). To prepare it, dissolve a pinch of baking soda in 1 glass of hot milk and add 1 teaspoon of butter. To improve the taste, this milk can be sweetened with honey.

Video: Treating cough in children quickly at home

Finding out how to quickly cure a child’s cough at home is not difficult, the main thing is that one or another remedy is suitable for the baby. Before engaging in such treatment, it makes sense to consult a pediatrician about what is necessary and useful, and what is better to avoid so as not to provoke complications.

Author Kudelya Larisa

All articles undergo mandatory testing by practicing doctors.

Gomzar Anastasia Sergeevna therapist Experience over 20 years Education: Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education Far Eastern State Medical University

Source: budzdorova7ya.ru

Causes and risk factors for developing a persistent cough

Before starting treatment for a persistent cough, you need to determine the cause of this phenomenon.

A lingering cough can be observed in children after acute respiratory viral infections or influenza. In this case, the cough may worsen when inhaling cold air, during active games, or sports.

A prolonged cough can occur in a child with bronchitis, pneumonia, whooping cough and other diseases caused by a viral, bacterial or fungal infection of the respiratory tract. A cough that does not go away is observed with allergies and its extreme form - bronchial asthma. Unfavorable environmental conditions in the area of ​​residence, stressful situations, and passive smoking can contribute to its development.

A lingering cough can occur not only with diseases of the respiratory tract, but also with pathologies of other body systems. A prolonged cough without fever can develop in children due to heart failure. Cough can also be observed in a child with certain diseases of the digestive tract (gastroesophageal reflux disease, etc.).

Causes of persistent cough

A persistent cough is a cough that lasts more than three weeks

There are many reasons for a persistent cough. These can be various diseases, disorders and external factors. Cough triggers are:

• Infection. Pharyngitis and sinusitis are distinguished by a recurrent course, and the appearance of a symptom indicates the development of an exacerbation. Other infectious pathologies are of a general nature.
• Allergy. A cough may indicate constant contact with an allergen. This could be food, medicine, animal dander, dust or pollen. In this case, it is necessary to avoid contact with the substance.
• External factors. If dust, chemicals or toxic substances come into contact with the oral mucosa, it becomes irritated. This is what causes a prolonged cough.
• Inflammatory diseases.
• Passive smoking. The respiratory organs of children whose parents smoke suffer. When they inhale smoke, tar and nicotine also deposit on their lungs, only in smaller quantities than in smokers.
• Gastroesophageal reflux. This is a condition in which food moves back down the esophagus.
• Foreign body in the respiratory system. When exposed to various objects, coughing is a normal condition. Thus, the body tries to get rid of the foreign object.
• Reaction to physical activity, exposure to hot or cold air. When these factors influence, a spasm occurs in the bronchi, which leads to a cough.
• Neurogenic factors or mental trauma.

In order for treatment to be successful, it is necessary to establish the exact cause of the symptom. Incorrect treatment or lack thereof can cause the addition of other pathologies and worsen the condition.

Why is a persistent cough dangerous?

Lack of therapy or improper treatment can lead to the development of a number of complications. This is due to the fact that the infection will spread and affect large areas of the mucous membrane and tissues of the respiratory system. This leads to bronchitis.

Over time, it acquires a chronic form, accompanied by a constant dry cough. Then bronchial asthma, pneumonia and lung abscess begin to develop. That is why, if a child’s cough does not go away for a long time and there is no improvement, you should consult a doctor.

Signs of a persistent cough and associated symptoms

Treating a persistent cough with antibiotics

First, it is very important to find out the cause of the cough; for this purpose, antibacterial therapy is specifically carried out, during which a bacterial infection that has settled in the upper respiratory tract is determined - sinusitis, otitis media, sore throat, and the doctor should also check the child, perhaps he has an inflammatory process in the lungs, pathologies associated with the lungs, it is also necessary to exclude cystic fibrosis. All of the above diseases require antibiotics.

In acute bronchitis, it is very important to use antibacterial therapy; if the infection is caused by chlamydia or mycoplasma, obstructive bronchitis can be a consequence of ARVI.

A lingering cough with whooping cough can also be treated with antibiotics, but they cannot be treated at the early stage of the disease in the first week, this will only reduce the symptoms. Later, antibacterial therapy may also not help, but the child will be able to tolerate the disease more easily; for this, the child needs to be treated with azithromycin, clarithromycin, and erythromycin.

If a child has a prolonged cough due to surgery, adenotomy, tonsillotomy, or after an acute respiratory viral infection, it is necessary to use the local antibiotic Bioparox. It has an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. If a child suffers from a chronic form of tonsillitis, bacteria during ARVI begin to actively multiply, most commonly pneumococci and hemophilia. Infections such as sore throat cannot be cured with Bioparox.

Traditional treatment of cough in children

Recipes from folk remedies:

• Pine buds soften cough. To prepare the drink, one tablespoon of kidneys is added to boiled milk (0.5 l). After this, the milk is immediately removed from the heat and infused for an hour. The medicine is taken warm, 50 grams every 1-2 hours. If milk is contraindicated for a child, then water is used for infusion. In the absence of pine buds, the use of young shoots of spruce is allowed.
• Badger fat for children under three years of age is used for cough only externally, for rubbing the chest, back and feet. Older children take fat orally three times a day before meals, 0.5 - 1 teaspoon. Taking badger fat improves immunity and strengthens the lungs.

In addition, radish with honey, onions, eggnog made from egg yolks, and also cakes, compresses and herbal infusions are often used.

Expectorants and antitussives for dry spasms

Treatment of bronchitis or other pathologies that are accompanied by unproductive bronchospasm cannot be done without taking antitussive or expectorant medications. Children are offered syrups to use. These medications taste good and help thin mucus. Your doctor's prescription may include the following medications:

• Libexin – protects the mucous membranes of the respiratory organs from damage;
• Robitussin is an effective medication prescribed from the age of three;
• Glaucine is a popular syrup that helps relieve cramps;
• Delsima - copes well with irritating dry bronchospasm.

If therapy is not carried out in the initial stages of the disease, the cough becomes protracted. The child also experiences an increase in temperature. Inaction will lead to the formation of pneumonia or bronchitis.

Evgeniy Komarovsky recommends treating a persistent cough in a child without fever using traditional methods. You need to drink more liquids rich in vitamins, ventilate the room 2-3 times a day and not give up walking in the fresh air. Mild pathologies of the respiratory system are not a reason to refuse to spend time outside.