Nasal congestion in a child: causes and treatment

Nasal congestion is a common problem in children.

• The mucous membrane of the baby dries out, swells, and fills with mucus . This makes the child uncomfortable.
• An insufficient amount of air entering the brain negatively affects the general condition .
• The baby becomes nervous and capricious.
• Symptoms intensify at night, the child cannot sleep.

That is why every parent should know how to quickly deal with nasal congestion at home. To do this, you can use medications and use traditional methods. We'll talk about this in the article.

Symptoms of nasal congestion in a child

If a child breathes through his mouth in his sleep, this is the first sign of nasal congestion.
How can you tell if your child has a stuffy nose? The symptoms are as follows:

• the baby begins to breathe through his mouth;
• snores at night;
• the sense of smell deteriorates (in some cases, the child may not taste food at all);
• there is a feeling of discomfort in the nasal sinuses ( burning, itching, dryness );
• frequent sneezing;
• fluid discharges from the nose (can be clear or yellow-green in color).

Frequent sneezing always indicates that the child is sick!

If your baby complains of these symptoms, his nose is stuffy.

Advice! It is necessary to begin treatment for nasal congestion as quickly as possible. Remember, ordinary snot can cause serious complications (otitis media, migraine, sinusitis, pharyngitis).

Treatment, diagnosis of nasal congestion in children

Since there are many reasons for a runny nose in a child and they all have different patterns, to treat nasal congestion it is necessary to carry out an accurate diagnosis of the sinuses. In the ENT office, children are examined using several methods:

• Otoscopy;
• Rhinoscopy;
• Mesopharyngoscopy.

Additionally, you can do a computed tomography scan of the paranasal sinuses or radiography. They also do tests for the presence of infections in the respiratory tract and tests for allergens.

It is important to note that the treatment of a runny nose in children is carried out a little differently than in adults. For example, children should not have vasoconstrictor drugs dripped into their nose. They can only relieve swelling of the mucous membrane and try to remove the secretions using gentle methods. First of all, it is recommended to carry out sanitation, which can restore the membrane, relieving inflammation.

The child is treated using the following procedures:

• Nasal rinsing;
• Inhalations;
• Warming with ointments.

You can rinse the nasal cavity with a saline solution that is safe for children. To prepare it you will need 1 spoon of sea salt and a glass of warm water. Washing is done using a regular microenema or syringe several times a day. For the procedure to be carried out with maximum efficiency, the child must open his mouth slightly. After some time, the mucus will be removed, and with it the microorganisms that cause inflammation of the mucous membrane.

For inhalation, ordinary baths with hot water are used, where you can add drops of fir oil or a little soda on the tip of a spoon. You can breathe inhalation vapors for 10 minutes, and at the end of the procedure you need to blow your nose well. It is recommended to repeat breathing procedures 3 times a day. Warming ointments can be used as an additional procedure. It can be applied to the baby’s feet, temples and sinuses. It is best to use ointments with eucalyptus essential oils, which have a warming effect on the respiratory tract.

If all the mild remedies do not have the desired effect, only in such cases can you use vasoconstrictor drops in a pediatric dosage or dilute medications for adults with water. Under no circumstances should you prescribe such medications on your own; you should always consult a pediatrician.

Causes of a runny nose

If your child has snot, the most likely reason is the following:

1. Viral disease . In this case, a runny nose begins abruptly, the snot is not thick, watery. The child constantly uses a handkerchief, because of this the skin around the nasal sinuses turns red, small wounds may appear that quickly become covered with crusts.
2. Bacterial rhinitis . The reasons lie in banal infections. The child begins to sneeze intensely, and snot appears 2–3 days after the onset of the disease. Often the mucus is quite thick and green or yellow in color. If treatment is not started in time, liquid will flow down the wall of the larynx, bacteria will descend into the respiratory system, and a cough will begin.
3. Fungus. The disease is called candidiasis. It needs to be treated in a special way, restoring the flora and mucous membrane of the nasal cavity. The secreted liquid is white or milky. Painful crusts form inside the nose.

   
   When infected with a fungus, painful crusts form in the nose, which greatly disturb the child.

4. Inflammation of the sinuses . This is a pretty serious reason. Rhinitis leads to sinusitis, sinusitis . The child’s body temperature rises, he cannot blow his nose, headaches and migraines appear. You cannot do without antibiotics and special procedures. It is important! Inflammation of the nasal sinuses should be treated only under the supervision of an ENT doctor . Sinusitis causes complications that are life-threatening for the baby ( purulent otitis media, meningitis, lymphadenitis ).

Rhinitis in a child can be the beginning of a serious illness. Therefore, if snot appears, it is better to consult a pediatrician.

The nose is stuffy, but there is no snot

Parents often note that the child has a stuffy nose, he cannot breathe fully, but there is no snot. The reasons are as follows:

1. Inappropriate climate conditions in the room. Ideally, the air temperature should be 18–22 degrees, humidity more than 50%. In this case, there is no drying out of the mucous membrane.

   
   A humidifier will help combat dry air. In winter, when batteries burn moisture, this is an irreplaceable thing!

2. Adenoids . Occurs in children who are often sick. As a rule, the disease manifests itself closer to 5–7 years . In addition to the lack of snot, parents may observe severe snoring at night in their children; in advanced cases, the shape of the nose changes.
3. Deviation of the nasal septum . The cause of the problem is a nose injury . In this case, severe snoring will also be observed.
4. Polyps on the mucous membrane . They occur if a runny nose becomes chronic and permanent. This disease can be dangerous due to its complications. The infection can enter the respiratory tract and cause bronchial asthma or pneumonia.

If you neglect the disease and do not seek help from an ENT doctor in time, complications are possible!

Note to parents! If a child has nasal congestion without snot, in addition to this, he often snores at night, then you need to visit an ENT doctor. If the problem is not solved in childhood, the disease will become chronic.

Why does my child have a stuffy nose?

There are 4 main reasons why children may experience nasal congestion:

1. Presence of concomitant ENT diseases;

Very often, a child suffers from a runny nose after he has had a cold or an infectious disease, becomes hypothermic, or develops an allergic reaction. In such cases, children have difficulty breathing, there is wheezing or a sore throat, they become irritable due to poor quality sleep, their body temperature may rise, and a cough appears.

1. Reduced immunity;

According to research, modern children have runny noses much more often than children 10-20 years ago. This is explained by the fact that their immunity is reduced due to constant stay in enclosed spaces and the body’s unpreparedness for various environmental situations. Since children’s bodies are not hardened in modern environmental conditions, they are bothered by nasal congestion, which leads to poor perception of educational materials at school. If such a runny nose is not treated, it can become chronic, leading to hearing loss.

1. Anatomical pathology;

A common cause of nasal inflammation can be a deviated nasal septum, the presence of adenoids in the nasal cavity, or an acute inflammatory process in the paranasal sinuses. To find out the exact cause of a runny nose, the child should see an otolaryngologist.

1. Chronic illness;

Also, the cause of nasal swelling may be one of the chronic diseases, for example, sinusitis, which causes swelling of the mucous membrane, not characterized by nasal discharge. Another serious disease is allergic rhinitis. It takes a long time to become chronic and can be caused by household allergens such as fluff, dust, woolen blankets, etc. If a child suffers from an allergic disease, he feels better when he leaves the room with allergens.

Allergic runny nose

If nasal congestion becomes seasonal, you need to visit a specialist and take an allergy test.

In addition to a runny nose, the following symptoms may occur:

Sneezing.

Skin rashes, itching.

Dyspnea.

Redness of the mucous membranes of the eyes.

Swelling of the eyelids.
Allergic rhinitis cannot be treated with conventional methods. First of all, you need to identify and eliminate the effect of the allergen.

Drug treatment

Pinosol can be used for no more than 5–7 days.

Rhinitis can be cured with the help of medications. The scheme is as follows:

1. Vasoconstrictors . They can be used for no more than 5–7 days . Otherwise, addiction may occur. The child will not be able to breathe freely without them. It is worth highlighting the herbal preparations “ Pinosol ”, “ Rinorus ”.
2. For bacterial rhinitis, treatment should be comprehensive . In some cases, it is necessary to take antibiotics and special physiotherapeutic procedures (“cuckoo”, warming up, blue lamp).
3. For allergic rhinitis, you will need antihistamines (“ Zodak ”, “ Agistam ”, “ Fenistil ”, “ Diazolin ”). But also in this case, medications will help that will not only eliminate a runny nose, but also relieve swelling of the mucous membrane. Avamis spray has proven itself well .
4. Saline solutions . These medications are suitable for any type of runny nose. They moisturize the mucous membrane and wash away excess fluid that has accumulated in the nasal sinuses. It is worth paying attention to the drops “ Solin ” and “ Otrivin Baby ”.

A nebulizer is a great helper for a mother!

Advice! It would be nice to add inhalations using a nebulizer to this treatment regimen. You can breathe alkaline water or saline solution (but only if the child does not have a fever).

Folk remedies

Our ancestors began to use aloe juice long ago. This is a classic method for nasal congestion. It is important to pick a fresh, fleshy leaf of the plant.

And you can also cope with a runny nose using folk remedies. They not only have an anti-inflammatory effect, but also cause the child to sneeze, thereby causing the snot to come out. The most popular are the following:

1. Aloe juice . The juice is squeezed from the freshly picked fleshy leaf of the plant. Dilute with water and put 2-3 drops . The flower has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. But it is also an excellent way to make your baby sneeze.
2. Boiled chicken eggs or salt . When warm, they are applied to the nasal sinuses. Heat helps remove excess fluid and warms the sinuses. It is important! If a child has sinusitis or sinusitis, this method cannot be used.
3. Iodine with salt . A few drops of iodine are well dissolved in warm (boiled) water. Add a teaspoon of salt (you can use sea salt). This solution is used to rinse each nasal sinus. Advice! If you do the rinsing incorrectly, you can get otitis media.
4. Onion drops . The juice from the onion should be diluted with water and a few drops should be instilled into each nostril. This remedy quickly causes the child to sneeze, which helps clear the nasal passages. But remember, the product is quite aggressive and can cause burns to the mucous membrane.
5. Beet juice . You need to squeeze fresh juice out of the beetroot and place 3 drops in each nostril.
6. Complex drops . Laundry soap is grated, onion juice and warm water are added. Thick ointment is applied to cotton balls and placed in the nasal passages. Literally in a minute the child will start sneezing. This remedy works great even with sinusitis.

Traditional methods can only be used if you are sure that the child is not allergic to the components.

Medicines for nasal congestion

Nasal drops differ in their action algorithm and are hormonal, vasoconstrictor, moisturizing, antiallergic and antibacterial.

The most common group is vasoconstrictor drops, with which you can quickly relieve congestion. They relieve swelling and constrict the vessels of the nasal passages, but these drugs cannot be used for longer than a few days, since they are addictive, after which an even more dangerous disease develops - drug-induced rhinitis.

How to treat when a child has a stuffy nose? You can check this with your doctor.

Advice from Dr. Komarovsky

Flushing the sinuses with a saline solution is effective, but it is better not to self-medicate without a doctor’s recommendation.

The famous doctor Evgeny Komarovsky gives his advice on how to properly get rid of a runny nose in children:

1. Drink plenty of fluids . Any drinks except soda will do. In this case, the mucus in the nose will not thicken, and rhinitis will quickly go away.
2. Walks in the open air . If the child feels well, you should not lock him in the apartment. Does your baby have a fever? Then be sure to ventilate the room where the child is.
3. Comfortable conditions . The humidity in the room is more than 50% , the temperature is 18–22 degrees .
4. Salt lamp by the bed while sleeping.
5. Rinse the nasal sinuses with saline solution.
6. Babies who cannot blow their nose on their own need to use an aspirator.

Treatment of children (including infants)

When parents notice that their child is breathing through the mouth, the cause of this condition may be hypothermia or a cold. The question always arises when a child has severe nasal congestion, how to treat it.

Vasoconstrictor drops can help cope with the problem: Sanorin, Tizin (instructions for using Tazin nasal drops can be found here), Naphthyzin. But you shouldn’t use them for a long time. In addition, only a pediatrician can prescribe such drugs to infants.

When nasal congestion in a child is affected by swelling of the mucous membrane, Polydex nasal spray can have a therapeutic effect. When treating sinusitis, a course of antibacterial therapy remains mandatory. A runny nose is very often the result of a malfunction in the hormonal system.

To cure nasal congestion in a child, you cannot do without hormones. Sanitation of the nasal cavity helps to ease nasal breathing. Thanks to cleansing measures, it is possible to completely overcome the bacteria that caused the development of the pathological process.

You can find a list of folk remedies for nasal congestion in children here.

When nasal breathing is difficult in a child due to allergies, the first step is to limit contact with the irritant. As a rule, an allergic reaction occurs to house dust, pet hair, and plant pollen. When parents are unable to understand the provoking factor, then during therapy it is necessary to use antihistamines.

When drug therapy does not give the desired result, you can use traditional methods. This treatment is considered the safest, because it does not cause allergies, addiction or side effects. Many techniques are familiar from our grandmothers, so they have proven their positive impact with time and practice.

What relieves swelling of the nasal mucosa:

1. Heat on the nose. For these purposes, you need to use boiled eggs or a bag of heated salt. It must be applied to different sides of the nose. The duration of the procedure depends on how quickly the eggs or salt cool. During treatment, it is possible to overcome swelling and relieve congestion. But children need to use warming only if the cause of difficulty breathing is not sinusitis. And this article indicates whether it is possible to warm your nose if you have sinusitis or whether you should refrain from doing so.
2. Homemade nasal drops not only effectively combat nasal congestion, but also save you money. You need to take aloe juice, dilute it in the same ratio with the reins and drip it into the child’s nose. A new solution must be prepared before use. You can also give your baby some onion juice diluted with water.

We recommend that you read about how to properly use aloe juice for a runny nose in this material.

conclusions

Nasal congestion is a common occurrence in children. It is enough to be a little hypothermic for the child to develop rhinitis.

It is necessary to treat a runny nose, otherwise complications will arise . If the snot is not thick, you can deal with it yourself. The methods and treatment regimen were described in detail in the article.

If the child’s condition is unsatisfactory, the snot begins to thicken, changes color to green or yellow, or headaches appear, it is imperative to visit an ENT doctor .

Causes and signs of nasal congestion

Nasal congestion can be caused by various reasons.

Symptoms of nasal congestion are usually recognizable. The child begins to sniffle, sleeps poorly, breathes through his mouth, his nose and eyelids become swollen. With severe swelling, appetite is impaired, the child often cries. In some cases, there may be other signs of ARVI: profuse nasal discharge, sneezing, cough, headache, fever.

With nasal congestion, your child may experience itching or burning in the nose. Crusts form on the mucous membrane and nosebleeds occur.

There can be many reasons for nasal congestion:

• ARVI. Viral infections occur in young children all the time. A child’s immune system is fully formed only by the age of 5; before this age, children often get sick, especially after contact with an infected person. At the same time, the symptoms of viral rhinitis in children can manifest themselves in different ways: for some it is only snot, for others it is severe swelling.
• Allergy. In a child, exposure to various allergens (animal hair, dust, plant pollen) causes severe swelling. With respiratory allergies, nasal congestion increases with prolonged contact with the irritant. In addition to swelling, frequent sneezing, coughing, asthma, and excessive nasal discharge may occur.
• Dry and polluted air. In infants, swelling may be caused by uncomfortable humidity. To avoid swelling, you need to constantly maintain air temperature and humidity. Vapors, gases, and tobacco smoke can also cause swelling.
• Foreign body in the nose. Young children often put small objects into their noses, which parents may not be aware of. In this case, the child almost immediately begins to sniffle, although breathing through the second nostril continues. After some time, the mucous membrane begins to inflame and swell, as a result, breathing is more impaired.

Treatment is prescribed by a pediatrician after a thorough examination and identification of the true causes of congestion. If congestion is chronic and appears frequently, it is necessary to examine the child.