Night cough with adenoids in a child

How are adenoids and cough related?

Enlarged adenoids often lead to the progression of viral infections, and the disease is accompanied by the following symptoms:

difficulty in nasal breathing;
prolonged runny nose;
snore;
dry cough reflexes, which cannot be alleviated with the help of antitussives;
deterioration of hearing abilities;
nasal voice, speech defects.

It is not always possible for a specialist to easily detect the cause of prolonged itching: it can occur against the background of other colds.

You can suspect the adenoid nature of a cough based on these signs:

runny nose that bothers you for a long time;
inability to breathe through the nose, constantly open mouth;
absence of discharge, but nasal breathing is still not observed;
unproductive cough reflexes that increase during sleep.

Adenoids and cough in a child are usually closely related. Therefore, it is very important to consult a doctor in time and get diagnosed. This will help prescribe the correct therapy and quickly get rid of unpleasant symptoms.

How to relieve cough with adenoids

Cough attacks due to hypertrophy of the nasopharyngeal organs cause a lot of unpleasant sensations to a person. If typical signs of adenoiditis are detected, you should immediately consult a doctor. If a patient has a pathology in the acute phase, a local or systemic antibacterial agent is prescribed.

The following medications are used only in situations where the disease appears against the background of an acute respiratory infection, and not from a viral infection. You can relieve coughing with the help of inhalation measures and sucking lozenges. How to treat cough with adenoids is given below.

Methods for relieving coughing with adenoids.

Causes

Prolonged and obsessive cough reflexes are often the main symptoms of adenoiditis. Such attacks are usually reflexive and are associated with irritation of the nerve fibers of the nasopharynx.

Adenoid cough can occur as a result of:

long-term inflammatory process that forms in the tissues of the nasopharyngeal tract;
progression of adenoid proliferation;
blocking of the nasal passages by overgrown tissues;
stagnation of mucopurulent sputum in the nasopharynx;
intense discharge of mucus: this can provoke inflammation, and, as a result, cause severe itching.

Cough with adenoiditis in a child may be associated with the progression of the disease, while the enlarged lymphoid tissue systematically irritates the nerve receptors.

Edema, provoked by a chronic inflammatory process and severe vascular permeability, additionally causes cough reflexes. During sleep or when the child is in a lying position, mucus stagnates in the nasopharynx and flows down the back wall of the pharynx. This is often the cause of night attacks.

In addition, constant breathing through the mouth contributes to dry mucous surfaces, which makes you want to cough.

How to treat cough from adenoids in a child?

Adenoiditis is an inflammatory process that occurs in lymphoid tissue with its pathological proliferation, which occurs against the background of an infectious-allergic reaction of the body to the introduction of pathogenic microorganisms into it.

Symptoms and treatment of cough with adenoids in a child

Can adenoids cause a cough? This condition is directly related to irritation of the receptors of the nerve roots in the nasopharynx, caused by the sloughing mucus and pus that form in the diseased body. Therefore, with inflammation, the main sign of the disease is considered to be a rapidly developing obsessive cough . Its harbingers are a weak cough and itching in the throat.

Inflammation of the adenoids varies in degree of complexity:

With adenoiditis of 2 and 3 degrees of complexity, a cough can manifest itself both during the day and at night, although in most cases a night cough is observed with adenoids in a child. This happens for the following reasons:

reflex response of the body to irritation of the throat by the tonsil and rejected purulent mucus;
dry throat;
swelling of the pharyngeal tissues.

It can be determined that a dry cough with adenoids in children is caused precisely by hyperemia of the pharyngeal tonsil by the following signs:

persistent runny nose without mucus discharge;
mouth breathing.

Features of cough with adenoiditis

Cough from adenoids has certain manifestations. However, other signs may facilitate the diagnosis of the disease. A distinctive feature of the pathological process is that the attacks are reflexive in nature and do not affect the lower parts of the respiratory organs - the trachea and bronchi.

Daytime cough

Daytime cough reflexes are unproductive. The frequency of their occurrence depends on the volume of proliferation of lymphoid tissue. In addition, when listening to the bronchi, no pathological changes are detected: attacks, as a rule, pass through the throat.

In addition, the child may experience other symptoms:

frequent mucous discharge from the nose;
chronic or temporary difficulty in nasal breathing;
pain symptoms in the head;
weakness, increased fatigue;
speech disorder, voice change;
deterioration of hearing abilities;
tendency to frequent and prolonged ear diseases.

During sleep

During sleep, irritation in the throat leads to a painful soreness, while a dry night cough with adenoids becomes permanent. Most often this is due to congestion in the nasopharynx and phlegm flowing down the walls of the throat.

Dryness of inflamed mucous membranes provokes the sensation of a foreign object in the throat and tickling, which makes the child cough.

In addition, the cough can become so intense and barking that it leads to severe attacks, disruption of normal sleep and inability to fall asleep.

Other symptoms include:

complete lack of breathing through the nose;
snoring and snoring;
in severe cases, apnea may occur - temporary cessation of respiratory function.

Enlarged adenoids often cause throat irritation at night. This is due to the baby being in a horizontal position for a long time. Most often, such attacks are observed in the second degree of adenoiditis.

Manifestation of the disease

A disease in which the lymphatic tissues of the nasopharynx are affected and swollen is called adenoiditis. As a result, the sick child cannot breathe through his nose .

According to Dr. Komarovsky, this pathology becomes a serious problem especially for young children. The advanced disease progresses to a severe stage, in which inflammation of the adenoids reaches its peak.

Adenoiditis is divided into 3 degrees:

The first degree is characterized by nasal congestion and frequent breathing. There is no nasal discharge, but the child sometimes breathes through his mouth, since the body does not receive enough oxygen.
The second degree of adenoid is manifested by symptoms in the form of severe difficulty breathing during the day and snoring at night. At this stage, the nasal passages are already 2/3 closed, as the adenoids have grown greatly. The patient's mucous membrane constantly dries out, resulting in a sore throat and coughing. Hearing impairment and otitis media may occur.
The third degree is the peak of the disease, in which the adenoids no longer perform their immune function and completely block the nasal passages. As a result, the child cannot breathe through the nose at all. He breathes only through his mouth, which is always open. This causes coughing. There are signs of lethargy, fatigue, and restless sleep.

Doctors, including Evgeny Komarovsky, believe that it is necessary to treat adenoiditis at the first signs of its manifestation . To do this, you should contact a doctor who will conduct an examination and prescribe the necessary treatment.

However, most often the first degree of the disease goes almost unnoticed for parents. Only with difficulty breathing do they begin to understand that the child is developing a pathology. Adenoiditis of the 2nd degree is treated conservatively. But if the disease is advanced, surgical intervention may be necessary. Komarovsky also advises treating third-degree adenoids without surgery, but here it all depends on the symptoms and condition of the baby.

Treatment methods

Cough reflexes with adenoiditis indicate the progression of the inflammatory process. Adequate and timely therapy will help cope with the problem much faster.

Treatment of cough with adenoids in children should be aimed at reducing the size of overgrown tissue.
For this purpose, conservative therapy is used. In severe cases, surgical removal of the growths may be prescribed. The method of treatment is determined by the attending physician after a comprehensive diagnosis of the child’s body.
The intensity, duration and intrusiveness of coughing with adenoids depend on:

stage of the inflammatory process and degree of edema;
severity of the disease;
the size of enlarged tonsils.

That is why it is impossible to eliminate one cough without treating the underlying disease. The following methods will help alleviate the child’s condition.

Medicines

It is recommended to treat stage 1 adenoids with conservative therapy. A mild inflammatory process can be relieved with medications:

expectorants and antitussives: Fluimucil, Bromhexine, Lazolvan, ACC. These medications relieve irritation, stimulate the discharge of mucus, and also help restore breathing through the nose;
To relieve swelling in the throat and eliminate allergic reactions, antihistamines Cetrin, Suprastin, Diazolin are used;
You can instill silver-based antiseptics into the nose - Protargol, Collargol, which help destroy pathogenic bacteria;
to restore vascular walls, ascorbic acid is often taken orally;
during an exacerbation, broad-spectrum antibiotics are prescribed: Augmentin, Amoxicillin, Sumamed, Amoxiclav;
purulent adenoiditis requires the use of local antibacterial agents - Isofra, Bioparox;
to facilitate the removal of mucus, vasoconstrictor drops are used - Nazivin, Nazol, which perfectly reduce swelling and promote nasal breathing;
in some cases, hormonal drops are prescribed, for example, Avamis, which have a long-lasting anti-inflammatory effect, as well as Nazarel and Nasonex, which help eliminate allergic reactions;
To maintain the immune system, the immunomodulator Derinat is used. The drug activates local blood circulation, increases immune strength, and also alleviates the general condition;
The medications Interferon, Furacilin, Chlorophyllipt, Tonsilgon are used as solutions for inhalation.

In complex treatment, homeopathy has shown good results, however, these remedies are taken strictly under the supervision of a specialist.

Inhalation procedures

Home inhalations are carried out using a nebulizer. Such procedures will help relieve an unpleasant sore throat and cure the disease faster.

A positive effect after the procedures is observed in the treatment of the initial stage of the disease, when antibacterial therapy is not required.

Experts recommend inhalation with medicinal herbs, provided that the child does not have allergic reactions. The following plants are used to prepare the solution:

raspberry leaves;
rose hip;
clover;
viburnum;
coltsfoot;
St. John's wort;
elecampane;
chamomile;
yarrow.

In addition, inhaling sea salt vapors, as well as 2% Protargol diluted with water, is an effective remedy.

Washing

Rinsing the nasal cavity will help get rid of the progression of inflammation and eliminate purulent accumulations in the nose.

The procedure will require medicinal plants or salt-based solutions. The child should rinse his nose 3-4 times a day.

The drug Miramistin, which is used to wash the sinuses and gargle, has shown a good effect. The drug is prescribed for enlarged adenoids, otitis, sinusitis and other pathologies of the respiratory system.

Physiotherapy

Most often, physiotherapy is used as an addition to the main treatment. The following procedures will help eliminate swelling, improve mucus discharge, relieve pain symptoms, restore blood vessels, and reduce coughing attacks:

UHF therapy;
electrophoresis;
laser therapy;
electromagnetic waves;
magnetic therapy;
warming up.

These treatment methods will help stabilize the child’s condition, but they should be carried out over a long course.

Operation

In the absence of positive dynamics after the prescribed treatment, surgical intervention is most often unavoidable. Usually the operation is performed for the second and third degrees of adenoiditis.

The famous children's doctor Komarovsky advises resorting to surgery in children in extremely rare cases and trying to cope with the problem in a conservative way.

Removal of adenoids during coughing is carried out urgently if the enlarged tissue makes breathing difficult and also provokes attacks of suffocation.

Adenotomy is a simple operation in which general or local anesthesia is used. However, sometimes surgical intervention is accompanied by complications: damage to soft tissues, bleeding, as well as the negative effect of anesthesia on the child.

Treatment of cough with adenoids in children

It is necessary to treat the underlying disease that led to the development of the pathological symptom. An enlarged pharyngeal tonsil is subject to surgical resection. With incomplete removal, there is a high risk of relapse, so as much tissue as possible is removed.

Symptomatic therapy includes taking medications of certain groups:

Antihistamines. Help relieve allergy symptoms. The most preferred drugs are the third generation (Cetrin, etc.), they quickly and effectively stop the signs of an immune reaction.
Anti-inflammatory drugs of non-steroidal origin (Ketorolac, Ibuprofen, etc.).
Specialized cough preparations of central or local action.
Bronchodilators (dilate the bronchi, relieve spasms).

It is necessary to rinse the nasal passages (helps if the nose is stuffy), gargling with antiseptics.

Medicines must be used in combination.

Treatment according to Komarovsky

Komarovsky gives a number of tips for stopping a child’s cough:

Reduce the number of dust accumulations in the apartment to a minimum.
Eliminate smoking in the apartment, as well as the access of tobacco smoke to the premises.
Use less household chemicals (foreign odors and substances negatively affect the dynamics).
Maintain optimal humidity and temperature in the room (about 60% and 18 degrees, respectively).

These methods are effective both as therapeutic measures and as preventive measures.

Cough after surgery

In most cases, a child’s cough no longer occurs after removal of the adenoids, since the factor that provokes irritation of the respiratory tract and stagnation of sputum has been removed.
However, if fragments of enlarged tissue remain in the pharynx, after some period after the operation the patient may begin to cough again. In this case, attacks can provoke re-proliferation of the tonsils.

In addition, cough after adenotomy may occur due to improved mucus discharge: the operation opens the nasal passages through which stagnant mucus comes out of the sinuses, and the inflammatory process decreases.

If cough reflexes continue two to three weeks after tonsil removal, you should visit your pediatrician for a lung examination.

Coughing attacks during adenoiditis should alert adults: they may indicate the proliferation of the tonsils and the progression of the inflammatory process. Early detection and correctly prescribed treatment under the supervision of a qualified specialist will help completely eliminate the pathology.