Why does my child’s cough with phlegm not go away?

Causes of cough in a child

Cough itself is not an independent disease. This is just a symptom that arose due to some kind of malfunction in the body.

Therefore, if a child’s cough does not go away within 1-2 weeks after a cold, it is necessary to consult a doctor.

Persistent cough in children can be of 2 types:

Dry;
With phlegm.

Dry is most often observed if the child has had laryngitis, pharyngitis or obstructive bronchitis. A cough with sputum is called productive, since its examination allows us to find out the cause of the disease.

The main causes of prolonged cough are:

Allergic reactions;
Psychological or mental problems in the child;
Frequent hypothermia;
Inflammatory processes in the body;
Presence of infections;
Ingestion of a foreign body into the respiratory tract;
Dry indoor air;
Presence of worms;
Chronical bronchitis;
Pneumonia;
Sinusitis;
Severe runny nose;
Sinusitis;
Bronchial asthma;
Whooping cough.

If a child’s cough does not go away for a long time, and there is an admixture of blood in the sputum or it is green in color, it is necessary to consult a doctor. If you have complaints of chest pain and shortness of breath, you should visit a doctor immediately.

Wet cough without fever: strong and long, in a child and an adult, causes, treatment - Website about

Everyone is accustomed to the fact that a cough usually goes away within a maximum of a couple of weeks from the onset of the disease.
But this is the case when it is a symptom of a cold, ARVI, acute respiratory infections and other uncomplicated respiratory diseases. Then, at first, a dry and sharp cough gradually turns into a wet one, phlegm begins to be coughed up vigorously, and the baby feels better every day.

But what to do if this does not happen, and the wet cough becomes protracted? Start by finding out the reason!

Why does the cough not go away?

Most often, a child’s wet cough does not go away for a long time for the following reasons:

Physiological cough in infants. This is a reflex phenomenon that helps the child clear his airways on his own. It is not paroxysmal and is usually dry. Such a cough can be wet if mucus has accumulated in the nose, which flows into the larynx or during the period of teething, when the child does not have time to swallow saliva. There is no need to treat it - this cough goes away on its own.
Due to constant irritation of the nasal mucosa. An irritant and an allergen are two different things. The irritant can be dusty air, smoke, strong odors, foreign bodies, chemical compounds (even mom’s perfume is too strong!). Trying to protect itself from negative influences, the nose secretes a large amount of mucus, which flows into the throat. If the child cannot swallow it, a wet cough occurs, without fever or other unpleasant symptoms.
It is allergic in nature. A cough with allergies is usually always wet, as it is accompanied by a copious flow of liquid snot, with which the baby literally choke, since the lumen of the larynx is too narrowed due to swelling. The cough is suffocating, paroxysmal and you can quickly get rid of it only with antihistamines.
Acute bronchitis becomes chronic. The cough is usually accompanied by fever and often occurs in attacks, especially at night. Sputum comes out with difficulty, after a long coughing, during which characteristic sounds are heard. One of the symptoms of bronchitis is severe shortness of breath even with minimal physical activity.
Sinusitis, sinusitis and other purulent inflammations of the nasal sinuses. With these diseases, a large amount of mucus and pus accumulates in the sinuses, which then enter the child’s throat and bronchi, often causing complications. Requires immediate medical treatment.

The attitude towards a wet cough in a child and the choice of treatment method depend one hundred percent only on the cause that caused it. Inexperienced parents often find it difficult to determine it correctly on their own.

Young children are very sensitive to the effects of medications. Therefore, before giving pills, you can try non-drug therapy methods.

Alarming symptoms

As you can see, a wet cough is not always a cause for serious concern. Moreover, it often indicates that a child who has an acute respiratory infection or a cold is beginning to recover. But in this case, the sputum remains cloudy white and becomes thicker, the temperature does not rise, and overall health noticeably improves.

constantly elevated body temperature (37.0-37.2);
a sharp and significant increase in body temperature to 38-38.5;
loss of appetite, almost complete refusal to eat;
constant crying, complaints of chest pain;
yellow-green or green color of expectorated sputum;
traces of blood are visible in the expectorated mucus;
the cough is accompanied by gurgling sounds, but the sputum does not come out;
It was the second month when the child started coughing.

In this case, most likely, the child already has a serious bronchopulmonary disease, possibly even in a chronic form. And every day of time lost on improper self-medication can result in unforeseen and very unpleasant complications.

Home treatment

The most useful are herbal infusions and teas. Many of the plants have antiseptic, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. But you shouldn’t give your baby regular tea, even green tea - it contains caffeine and tannin, which have a stimulating effect on the nervous system, and the baby may become restless and the cough will intensify.

You can give your child a decoction of only one herb, or you can independently make a mixture of several plants, combining them in equal proportions (it is better to use no more than 3-4 herbs at a time).

The following ingredients have the most intense effect on coughing:

tea rose petals – antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic;
linden blossom – antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, moisturizing;
elderberry flowers – expectorant, anti-inflammatory, high in vitamin C;
leaves and dried raspberries – antiseptic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory;
currant leaves – wound healing, source of vitamin C;
Rosehip berries – restorative, anti-inflammatory, regenerating.

If the temperature is low, it is useful to do steam inhalations with these plants, as well as all types of conifers (fir, pine, spruce, thuja, cedar or their essential oils). They dilate the bronchi, facilitate coughing and promote rapid mucus clearance.

It is necessary to ensure that the baby's chest and back are warm. You can put a wool or fleece vest on it. And also in the absence of temperature, additionally do warming procedures: mustard plasters, rubbing, compresses, honey cake.

It is useful to bathe a small child in herbal decoctions - this is both deep heating and steam inhalation. But after such a bath, immediately go to a warm bed and no longer walks or active games. Therefore, it is better to do it at night.

Drug therapy

When a doctor diagnoses a chronic or infectious disease, treatment must be intensive and comprehensive. Usually a number of drugs are prescribed with different effects on the body.

But they are selected so that when interacting they do not conflict and, if possible, cover possible side effects. Therefore, it is impossible to adjust the doctor’s prescriptions.

If you have any doubts, immediately or ask to change the drug.

Typically, complex drug therapy includes the following groups of drugs:

Mucolytic - have expectorant properties, help liquefy and discharge sputum: “Gedelix”, “Bronholitin”, “Lazolvan”, “Gerbeon”, “Mukaltin”, etc.
Antihistamines - help reduce mucous secretions, relieve swelling and spasm of the larynx, have a weak calming effect: “Suprastin”, “Tavegil”, “Diazolin”, etc.
Anti-inflammatory - remove foci of inflammation, pain and redness in the throat, soothe irritated mucous membranes, reduce body temperature (slightly): Paracetamol, Panadol, Aspirin.
Immunomodulators are most effective for viral diseases, but also for chronic ones they also increase the body’s defenses: “Amizon”, “Anaferon”, “Interferon”, etc.
Vasoconstrictor nasal drops - help reduce the amount of snot and associated irritation of the mucous membrane. Do not use for children under 3 years old, under 6 years old - with extreme caution. The name of the drug and dosage are determined by the doctor; you cannot prescribe them to your child yourself!

Antipyretic drugs are given to the child only at a temperature above 38 degrees, which is not reduced by other means. They can be used for one, maximum two days, during which it is necessary to establish the cause of the high temperature and try to remove it. You may have to undergo laboratory tests for this: blood, culture, x-rays, etc.

With a properly selected course of intensive therapy, the child’s wet cough goes away in a maximum of a month (along with residual effects).

If, after this period, the baby still continues to cough, it means that the treatment has not been completed or there is another undetected reason. Then you will have to undergo a re-examination.

You can’t leave a cough untreated! It can cause the development of bronchial asthma.

Anna Alexandrova

Sources: medscape.com, health.harvard.edu, medicalnewstoday.com.

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How to treat a wet cough without fever in a child

Even the most caring parents can encounter various diseases in their child. With the onset of cold weather, few people manage to avoid catching a cold. Conditions such as influenza, acute respiratory viral infections and acute respiratory infections are often accompanied by cough and many other unpleasant symptoms. The article will discuss how to treat a wet cough in a child that occurs without fever.

What is a wet cough and why does it occur?

A wet or wet cough is the body’s protective reaction to irritation of the lungs and bronchi by mucus accumulated in them. Most parents believe that a baby can cough only when there is a cold or viral infection, but this is far from true. A prolonged cough can be a consequence of the following diseases:

pneumonia, bronchitis, tracheitis;
heart disease, in particular heart failure;
profuse runny nose. The fact is that the child’s snot flows not only outward, but also flows down the nasopharynx. This may cause a wet cough, especially at night;
bronchial asthma;
tuberculosis;
some congenital pathologies accompanied by accumulation of sputum in the lungs (cystic fibrosis).

We cannot ignore the fact that a wet cough is observed in some babies when teething at 1–2 years of age. This is due to increased salivation. Another reason is diseases of the digestive system, when digestive juice is thrown into the esophagus. In infants, cough may occur due to poor development of the muscles of the stomach and esophagus.

Whatever the reasons for a child’s wet cough, self-medication is strictly prohibited. A young patient should definitely be shown to a specialist.

What symptoms should you pay attention to?

Even a completely healthy child can sneeze and cough up to several times throughout the day. This should not alarm parents, because such a reaction of the body to dust and other irritants is considered natural. You need to be wary if accompanying symptoms appear. Among them are:

a wet barking cough that occurs suddenly and does not stop for a long time;
a prolonged and severe wet cough that does not go away for more than 3 weeks and cannot be treated;
increase in body temperature to high levels;
discharge of blood or green mucus along with phlegm;
it becomes difficult for the baby to breathe, he begins to wheeze;
when trying to take a deep breath, the patient begins to cough heavily and shortness of breath appears;
the appearance of complaints of chest pain, moodiness, loss of appetite;
the baby begins to wheeze.

If, during the course of ARVI or ARI, a child’s temperature remains within 38 degrees for more than three days, and the condition is accompanied by a frequent wet cough, parents should be alarmed. These signs may most likely indicate the development of an inflammatory process in the lungs or bronchi.

When it comes to breathing, we must not forget that babies breathe more often than children after 3 to 4 years of age. This is explained by the age characteristics of a small organism. In newborns, we can talk about shortness of breath in cases where there are more than sixty breaths per minute.

Mechanism of development of wet cough

To understand how a wet cough appears, you should remember the anatomy. The human lungs and bronchi are covered with a special mucous layer. This name is due to the ability of these tissues to produce mucus.

When foreign objects, viruses, bacteria get on the mucous membrane, it becomes irritated. By producing increased amounts of mucus, the body tries to clear the airways of “strangers.” The accumulation of mucus causes a cough.

To summarize, we can say that the cough reflex is necessary for every body to cleanse the respiratory tract and speedy recovery from various diseases.

You may be interested in: Medicines for green snot in a child

Many people know that coughing can get worse at night. This occurs due to the horizontal position of the body, the accumulation of sputum in the respiratory tract.

It is especially difficult for infants to get rid of mucus.

They have poorly developed muscles of the lungs and bronchi, therefore, if a strong wet cough develops, the baby should undergo a medical examination and select appropriate treatment.

Dependence of mucus type on disease

An experienced specialist may suspect various diseases based on the abundance and external signs of sputum. Depending on the type of mucus, diseases can be as follows:

copious mucus of rare consistency with a transparent tint appears with bronchitis, inflammation of the trachea;
brownish thick mucus often indicates pneumonia;
watery, colorless discharge indicates damage to the nasopharynx;
sticky viscous sputum occurs with bronchial asthma;
blood clots or streaks of blood when coughing often indicate the development of tuberculosis and heart failure;
purulent discharge is a sign of an abscess of lung tissue.

Source: https://nyaganngp1.ru/bronhi/mokryj-kashel-bez-temperatury-silnyj-i-dolgij-u-rebenka-iu-vzroslogo-prichiny-lechenie.html

Diagnostic measures

If a child coughs for a long time after a cold or for unknown reasons, the doctor carries out a series of diagnostic measures to identify the causes of a long cough and determine an effective treatment algorithm.

The pediatrician will listen to the child's lungs to determine whether there is wheezing, which is characteristic of serious pathologies. If there is any doubt, an x-ray or computed tomography scan is performed.

If residual effects associated with previous bronchitis are detected, bronchoscopy is prescribed. This procedure is safe for health, but not entirely pleasant for the child. It is carried out only in a clinical setting.

Using special equipment, a thin tube with a video camera at its end is inserted into the bronchi. It helps to assess the condition of the mucosa and consider any pathological changes. At the same time, sputum from the bronchi is taken for analysis.

To find out why a child has a long, persistent cough, they also take sputum, which is released when coughing.

The procedure is carried out as follows:

The collection is carried out independently in the morning before meals.
You cannot brush your teeth or perform other oral hygiene procedures.
You cannot take medications.
Prepare a sterile jar with a tight lid.
Be sure to rinse your mouth.
Cough and spit out the mucus into a container.

The jar is sent to the laboratory for testing.

This analysis will allow the attending physician to determine what to do and how to proceed with treatment.

Effective remedies for dry cough

At the initial stage of respiratory diseases, cough receptors in the nasopharynx are irritated. The patient suffers from suffocating spasms that do not bring relief to the body. The main task of treating this stage of the disease is to transform a dry cough into a productive wet form.

For this, the doctor prescribes mucolytic drugs. The main substances of these drugs destroy the protein components of mucus. As a result, sputum becomes more liquid and is easier to expel from the body, and the disease goes away within a few days.

"Ambroxol" tablets

This effective mucolytic agent is prescribed to adults and children over 12 years of age. The main substance, ambroxol hydrochloride, stimulates the formation of sputum, prevents it from thickening, and activates the motor activity of the cilia of the mucous membrane. After taking the pills, the cough becomes wet and goes away faster.

The drug "Mukaltin"

The medicine is made on the basis of marshmallow root extract. It increases the volume of sputum and at the same time reduces its viscosity. Thanks to taking the drug, inflammatory processes on the mucous membrane are extinguished. The patient feels relief, and the disease passes faster.

Codelac with codeine

The drug is prescribed for a dry cough that does not go away for a long time, damages the mucous membrane of the throat, and causes vomiting. The main substance of the drug is codeine, which affects the cough center of the brain. Remember, when treating with Codelac, you must strictly follow the dosage. Otherwise, nausea, constipation, and difficulty breathing appear.

Libexin tablets

This effective medicine reduces the irritability of cough receptors in the airways through safe local anesthesia. It is prescribed for the treatment of whooping cough, preparation for diagnostic and surgical procedures on the bronchi. The drug may slow down the reaction rate, so you should not drive a car after taking it.

Treatment in children

Wet cough in a child

If your baby has a wet cough after a cold, but has not had a fever for 3 weeks, the child can be treated with the following medications:

Mukaltin;
Alteykoy;
Ambroxol;
Pertussin;
Gerbion.

After an illness, parents should carry out the following procedures with their child to get rid of residual cough:

Give warm liquids to drink as much as possible so that accumulated mucus is washed away from the back wall of the larynx;
Gargle with herbal infusions;
Do inhalations;
Rub the chest with oils or warming ointments if the child has a prolonged wet cough.

After ARVI, teach the child to do breathing exercises for 1-2 weeks.

Dry cough in a child

Medicines that help inhibit the cough center of the brain, reduce irritability of the mucous membranes, create a protective film, preventing attacks if a dry cough persists even after long-term use of antibacterial drugs will help cure.

Doctors prescribe the following remedies:

Tusuprex;
Libexin;
Depsim;
Robitussin;
Stoptussin.

These drugs can cure dry cough. They are not suitable for wet conditions and will not give the desired effect.

It is good to use immunomodulators to combat dry cough:

Interferon;
Anaferon.

If a child has an allergy or infection, other groups of drugs that are taken only as prescribed by a doctor will help eliminate the problem.

Treatment of cough with folk remedies

Children can be treated using traditional medicine.

You can make inhalations from plants such as:

Pine buds;
From a decoction of chamomile, St. John's wort or birch leaves;
It is recommended to breathe over the steam of boiled potatoes;
Breathe over steam with liquid to which 1-2 drops of fir, pine, and cedar oils are added.

Residual cough can be cured with black radish juice. To do this, grate the fruit on a coarse grater, add sugar to the mass and bake everything in a clay pot in the oven. Eat the mixture 1 teaspoon per day. You can add a little honey to the mixture.

If a child’s cough does not go away, it is not recommended to self-medicate. Parents should remember that its presence may be a symptom of a serious illness.

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Diagnostic methods

The main mistake of sick people is ignoring the problem, believing that the symptoms will stop bothering them after taking herbal tea or other traditional medicine. But coughing does not always mean pathology in the respiratory tract. This symptom is typical for heart failure, nervous disorders, and lungworm infection. Therefore, it is important to see a doctor and undergo diagnostic procedures.

At the appointment, the specialist asks about the characteristics of the symptoms, examines the throat, and listens to the bronchi with a phonendoscope. To make a diagnosis and draw up a treatment regimen, he prescribes examination procedures from this list:

urine and blood analysis;
examination of sputum, nasal swab, throat;
radiography;
tousography;
bronchoscopy;
spirometry;
MRI or CT.

If the doctor does not see problems in the respiratory system, he prescribes a consultation with an otolaryngologist, neurologist, cardiologist or psychotherapist.

Causes of cough and symptoms of certain diseases

A lingering wet cough can be a symptom of a dangerous disease or a common cold. The main thing is to understand the reasons in time and eliminate them. Often, parents purchase special herbal syrups for their child’s treatment to promote expectoration. This can cause your child's cough to either remain the same or get worse.

That is why you should not self-medicate; trust the treatment of your baby only to specialists!

Most often, a lingering wet cough is a symptom of a viral disease - sinusitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis, bronchitis. It can also be a symptom of lower respiratory tract disease. For all pathologies, the cough is different; its nature can be determined by sputum:

bronchitis and tracheitis - copious sputum, severe and prolonged cough;
pneumonia - sputum has a rust color;
inflammation of the upper and lower respiratory tract - sputum in these cases has a liquid consistency;
bronchial asthma - sputum is viscous, glassy;
tuberculosis - coughing discharge will contain bloody impurities;
Lung abscesses, bronchiectasis - purulent discharge with a strong, unpleasant odor.

In any case, a wet cough in a child lasts longer than in an adult. First of all, this is due to the fact that the baby cannot fully cough up; often children simply swallow the mucus that comes out. Moreover, in children, sputum has a more viscous consistency and is much more difficult to cough up. The parents’ task is to prevent the disease from progressing and alleviate the child’s lingering wet cough and speed up recovery.

Another common problem with a lingering cough that lasts longer than a week is a weakened immune system. If a child has suffered a viral disease, but a wet cough does not go away within a week, this may mean that the virus has attacked again. Another symptom of the problem will be the presence of a constant elevated temperature within 37–38 degrees.

Pulmonary chlamydia and candida should not be excluded as the causes of the problem. These are rare pathologies, but they still occur. To identify them, it is necessary to undergo a full medical examination. Remember that it is simply impossible to cure any lingering wet cough with home and folk remedies. Even if there is no fever, and the child’s cough does not go away for more than a week, this is a serious reason to consult a specialist.

The child’s cough does not go away for a long time

Why does a child’s cough not go away for a long time?

Coughing is a reflex process that promotes high-quality cleansing of the respiratory system.
There is no reason to classify it as a separate disease, and yet it is not easy to cure. If the causes of a child’s cough are not identified, incorrect treatment can cause serious harm to the baby’s health. Children are characterized by the occurrence of acute cough as a result of complications of ENT diseases. In addition, the respiratory system can be damaged by an infectious virus; you can catch the virus at school, this is a so-called atypical infection.

The reason for a lingering cough lies in the weakening of the body as a result of exposure to a virus infection. A cough can be caused by candida fungi, and in this case it will also be very long-lasting. In the case of infants, a prolonged cough may be the result of exposure of the child's body to cytomelaloviruses. In addition, a cough may be evidence of tuberculosis. In the modern world, you can get it almost anywhere, at school, on the sports field and in kindergarten. If contact with a carrier of the bull virus is short and a protective vaccination was given on time, the risk of a prolonged course of the disease is almost zero. You should definitely visit a tuberculosis clinic or do a laboratory test to detect the carrier of the tuberculosis virus in the body.

In addition, it is possible for the child to become infected from the mother directly during childbirth. This may occur due to weakened immunity in the child. If a baby's cough does not go away within a couple of weeks, parents should be wary.

A child’s dry cough does not go away for a long time

Colds in childhood are very common. In most cases, they do not present parents with a reason for long-term concern, but it happens that a child has a dry cough for a long time. In order for parents to have an idea of how to treat it, they must know what exactly it is and what the causes of its occurrence are. You also need to know what examinations you should undergo in order to subsequently treat it effectively.

Often a dry cough occurs due to infection of the child. A cold caused by the influenza virus can bother a person for quite a long time. ARVI causes inflammation that extends not only to the upper respiratory tract. The inflammatory process occurs in the direction of the large bronchi and trachea, so dry cough can cause severe chest pain.

If the disease is severe, children under three years of age may develop the symptom of croup, the distinguishing feature of which is swelling of the larynx and bronchial mucous membranes. The particular danger of the described condition is evidenced by the appearance of wheezing when coughing, which can be clearly heard even at some distance. If such symptoms appear, calling a doctor is absolutely necessary.

A slightly different course is typical for rhinovirus infection. Its first signs are a scratching sensation in the throat, accompanied by chills and impaired breathing. After this, the nose becomes blocked, after which the cough does not allow the baby to breathe fully through the nose. It is at this stage that inflammation of the trachea and bronchial system can be observed, and this is a symptom of a non-productive cough.

A child’s dry cough does not go away for a long time, what should I do?

In the event that a cough that does not go away for a long time is due to the action of allergens on the body, it has nothing to do with the course of inflammation in the respiratory organs. A lingering cough in a child may be a reaction of his body to the pollen of certain plants, while the child may cough, sneeze, or tears flow from his eyes.

If a child’s cough does not go away for a long time, it is necessary to determine exactly why it occurs and what irritants it is a reaction to. To do this, you should visit a doctor as soon as possible. If a cough occurs against the background of a rise in temperature, it is especially dangerous, especially if accompanied by weakness. To prevent a person from contracting tuberculosis, the child should have an x-ray and sputum tested.

If the cough continues and no complex pathology is detected, the following actions must be taken:

ventilate the room, but do not use air conditioners and air heaters;
humidify the air in the room. This can be done using a humidifier or opening a glass of water in the room and leaving it for a while. The development of a cough can be triggered by dry air, which contributes to drying out the upper respiratory tract;
In addition, if a child has a dry cough that lasts for a long time, it is imperative to drink a lot of fluids to ensure the outflow of mucus from the lungs and respiratory system; the person’s general condition improves significantly.

A wet cough does not go away for a long time in a child

A wet cough is also called productive. This means that the next stage of cough development has arrived, indicating that the patient is moving towards recovery. Recovery may be delayed due to the retention of moisture accumulated in the respiratory tract and its stagnation. However, it is a mistake to believe that a wet cough will not need to be treated. Due to the fact that small children have quite viscous mucus, expectorants should sometimes be taken to stimulate its removal.

As for the timeframe accepted in modern medicine for determining the normal duration of a cough in a person, this is two weeks. If the child feels fine, is quite active and has a good appetite, then parents should not worry.

If after this period the child’s wet cough does not go away, you should consult a doctor. Especially if the cough is annoying and the child is worried. Perhaps the parents are dealing with complications of the disease.

Remedies for wet coughs in children

If parents observe the development of a wet cough in their child, the following medications should be taken to treat it:

To ensure a proper expectorant effect for a wet cough, the child can be given Gerbion syrup. Another question is that the syrup has a peculiar taste and not all children, therefore, drink it;
sputum begins to be released more actively if the child is given Thermopsis tablets. Even infants can take it, since the drug effectively eliminates mucus;
sputum is released well if the child is given Lazolvan, a syrup-type drug. True, it does not suppress the cough. It can be produced as a means for inhalation, and this fact makes it possible to use it for newborns;
mucus begins to be secreted intensively when taking the drug Ambroxol, released in tablet form. Causes expectoration of sputum, eliminates inflammation, and also kills pathogenic bacteria;
when there is an urgent need to treat a child’s wet cough, his parents often think about the drug ACC. It liquefies mucus and removes it from the body. However, the drug should be taken under close medical supervision, since it has a lot of side effects.

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