Green snot and fever in a child, what is the reason?

Cough is the body’s protective reaction to the introduction of foreign agents. The symptom may indicate a cold or exposure to negative environmental factors. Often, spasms in the chest appear due to the presence of thick snot. Mucus accumulated in the sinuses flows down the throat, thereby irritating nerve receptors and provoking attacks. How to treat cough and thick snot in children and adults?

Thick snot can cause a child to cough

Reasons for violation

External irritants provoke increased secretion of the nasal mucous membranes, thus trying to prevent harmful substances from entering the body. In this case, snot can be expelled through the nose or flow down the throat, causing a cough. In young children, the latter option of mucus removal is more often observed, so parents should clean the nasal cavity of their children as often as possible to prevent the development of complications.

It is worth noting several reasons that cause coughing and runny nose:

allergies to food and household chemicals;
physiological state characteristic of newborns;
infection with infectious pathogens;
injury to the nasal mucosa;
hypothermia of the body;
period of teething in one-year-old babies;
change in ambient temperature.

Hypothermia can cause the disease

A severe runny nose is observed against the background of the following diseases:

sinusitis;
colds;
rhinitis – inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose.

Pathologies require an individual approach to therapy. The doctor differentiates diseases from each other based on the symptomatic picture. For example, sinusitis, in addition to copious snot, is accompanied by pain in the maxillotemporal joint and some areas of the face (forehead, cheeks, nose). ARVI is characterized by a sharp rise in body temperature, a barking cough and the flow of clear mucus from the nose.

What you need to know about fever in children with ARVI

How high the temperature rises says virtually nothing about the severity of the disease
By lowering the child’s temperature, we only help him tolerate the disease more easily, and that’s all.
The likelihood of fever-related seizures (i.e. febrile seizures) will not decrease!
Temperature helps the body fight infection, so if it is below 39°C there is no need to lower it simply because it is elevated
Only a temperature above 41°C can be dangerous for a child.
The temperature should be reduced in 2 cases
temperature above 39°C (even if the child’s general well-being is not particularly affected), especially before bedtime, so as not to miss its higher rise at night
There is no need to reduce the temperature to normal - usually, to improve well-being, it is enough to reduce it by 1 OoC
There is no need to give antipyretics prophylactically, i.e. before the temperature rises

Disease depending on the type of snot

By the nature of the separable, a number of pathologies developing in the body can be identified. If an adult or child blows out a copious amount of clear mucus, this indicates a normal physiological process. The mucous membranes work and fully protect the respiratory system from the introduction of pathogenic flora. White, yellow, green or brown snot is a cause for concern.

With ARVI, the snot is white or transparent

Light, thick mucus is observed in respiratory viral diseases in the acute stage of their course. This symptom can appear in children during prolonged stay in a hot and dry room.

Yellow nasal discharge indicates that bacteria are multiplying in the respiratory tract. This color of mucus is given by dead leukocytes containing green-yellow enzymes.

A wet cough and green snot are a characteristic sign of a bacterial infection. The thicker the mucus, the greater the number of dead microorganisms concentrated in it. This symptom most often manifests itself as sinusitis and adenoiditis.

Brown fluid from the nose is a symptom of bleeding caused by injury to the mucous membranes or abuse of vasoconstrictor drops. The mucus turns dark due to the use of drugs containing silver.

Brown nasal discharge occurs when the mucous membrane is injured.

Clear snot can also signal the development of allergic reactions or neurovegetative processes in the body. Blue snot should be a cause for alarm. This sign indicates that foreign objects or chemicals have entered the sinuses.

The color of nasal mucus often changes in children. This indicates the transition of one disease to another, for example, a viral infection to a bacterial one. Adults, noticing this symptom, immediately begin to give their children antibiotics so that the pathological process does not spread to the bronchi and lungs. However, in most cases the problem can be treated without antimicrobials.

Complications of pathology

If a child develops green snot and fever, this means that high-quality therapy was not carried out in the initial stages of the disease. If this sign is ignored, serious complications may develop:

Sinusitis. In addition to green nasal discharge, the pathology is accompanied by severe headaches, which intensify with changes in body position. During the disease, the sensitivity of taste buds worsens, the temperature rises, and inflammation of the lower edge of the eye is noted.

Sinusitis is one of the likely complications of a runny nose.
Ethmoiditis or sinus infection. Thick snot and cough in a child do not go away for a long period of time. In addition to this symptom, the disease is accompanied by fever and severe pain in the bridge of the nose.
Sinusitis. The problem is characterized by green or yellow nasal discharge. Often the pathology is supplemented by facial spasms, redness of the skin near the sinuses, and a wet cough.
Otitis. Symptoms of inflammation of the ear canal - vomiting; hoarseness of voice; pain radiating to the temple and head. The disease can be complicated by inflammation of the brain, especially in infants.
Purulent rhinitis.
Frontitis is an acute inflammation of the frontal sinuses. The pathology is characterized by purulent accumulations flowing from the nose; spread of mucus to the larynx.

Frontitis is an inflammation of the sinuses above the nose.

How to reduce temperature and reduce pain (in the throat, muscles, head)

Before giving your child medicine to lower the temperature, you can first try the so-called. physical methods of cooling: wipe it with a towel moistened with slightly warm water, or even put it in a bath filled with water at a temperature of 36-37 ° C. Sometimes this is enough. Since the effectiveness of this method is far from 100%, if the child does not like these activities, there is no need to insist.
Of the medications, only acetaminophen (Paracetamol, Efferalgan, Panadol, Cefekon D, Tylenol, etc.) is suitable for reducing fever and reducing pain for up to 6 months. After 6 months, you can also use ibuprofen (Nurofen, Motrin, Advil, etc.). These drugs work differently.

Ways to combat the disease

How to treat green snot and cough in a child that appears for a long time? In this case, mucus from the nose provokes a cough reflex, with the help of which the body tries to clear the airways of phlegm. With excessive accumulation of snot in the larynx and nasal sinuses, attacks occur mainly at night.

With the described symptoms, it is necessary to treat a runny nose. Competent therapeutic measures will help avoid dangerous complications.

Getting rid of snot

The cause of mucous discharge from the nose should be taken into account. In one-year-old babies, the triggering factor for the disease is dry and warm air in the apartment. Dr. Komarovsky believes that the optimal temperature for a child is 18-22 degrees. Air humidity should be within 50-60 degrees. In older children, the cause of constant snot and coughing is enlarged adenoids.

If a runny nose prevents you from breathing normally, vasoconstrictor drops are prescribed.

Vasoconstrictor drops - Naphthyzin, Nazivin, Snoop - will help to urgently eliminate congestion. These drugs contain xylometazoline, which reduces the permeability of blood vessels. It is prohibited to use such medications for more than 5 days, as they become addictive. Uncontrolled use of vasoconstrictors causes vasomotor rhinitis. It is better to use medications at night, when a severe runny nose interferes with sleep and rest.

The effect of drops with xylometazoline begins after 15 minutes and lasts for 6 hours. Sprays are not recommended for babies under one year of age, since in this case it is difficult to calculate the exact dosage of the medicine.

If the discharge is yellow-green in color, it is necessary to use antiseptic compounds that help disinfect the nasal passages (Protargol, Albucid, Polydexa). Antibacterial drops cannot be used uncontrollably, because they dry out the mucous membranes.

For green snot, antiseptic solutions should be instilled

Inhalation with a nebulizer helps get rid of thickened mucus. After the procedure, you need to blow your nose well or clear your nose. The advantage of the method is that it removes mucus from the upper and lower respiratory tract (lungs, bronchi), thereby providing better coughing. Lazolvan, Ambroxol, Derinat are added to the inhaler.

Another important procedure for a runny nose is rinsing the sinuses. It allows you to promptly remove viral and bacterial particles that can enter the lower respiratory tract. For this purpose, they use Quix, Aqualor, Aquamaris. The effect of therapy will be higher if the washing procedure is supported by taking antihistamines or antiviral drugs.

Cough from snot is especially common in infants one month old. The main goal of treating pathology in children is to normalize the performance of the mucous membranes. For infants who cannot blow their nose, their nose is cleaned using aspirators (Baby Vakt, Otrivin). If the mucus has a thick consistency, then it is first diluted with saline solution or saline drops.

For children, nasal cleansing is carried out using an aspirator.

Cough treatment

To eliminate dry spasms, adults and children are prescribed mucolytics. The drugs are intended for better removal of sputum from the bronchi. The most effective mucolytics:

Bromhexine. Suitable for eliminating cough in infants and children under 14 years of age. From 0 to 24 months, the medicine is prescribed 3 times a day, 2 mg, at the age of 2-7 years, 4 mg, for adolescents, 8 mg.
Herbion based on plantain. Approved for use by children from 2 years of age. The medicine is taken 1 measuring spoon three times a day.

You can cure a wet cough with Gedelix or Althea syrup. The first drug is approved for patients one month old.

Peaks of incidence

During the life of every person there are periods when he suffers from ARVI more than 8 times a year. The first such peak of incidence occurs in the first 1-2 years of visiting a children's group (kindergarten or school). It is important to note here that there is no point in going to kindergarten later: it doesn’t matter whether this peak occurs at 3 years or at 7 years - the probability of complications is the same, but if you miss kindergarten, you will not have to make up for lost material. Subsequent peaks are also associated with a sharp increase in contacts.

For those children who attend child care institutions, there are 2 peaks of incidence every year: after the summer and winter holidays, children meet and exchange viruses.

Those who come into contact with a large number of people get sick more often: in large stores, subways and other public places. If you have the opportunity to avoid visiting such places, you should take it.

Emergency assistance for a child

How to quickly eliminate signs of cough in a child that appears against a background of snot? First of all, it is necessary to provide conditions that are optimal for the functioning of the mucous membranes of the respiratory system. When sick, it is important to regularly ventilate and moisten the room in which the child is located.

It is important to monitor the air humidity in the children's room

If the disease is mild, it is enough for parents to ensure that the air in the baby’s room is clean. To do this, wet cleaning is carried out daily.

If the problem is not accompanied by an increase in temperature, then there is no need to panic ahead of time. You should not give cough syrups, antibiotics or antiviral drugs yourself. If there is a spasm caused by snot, such measures will be unnecessary and will not allow the immune system to function at full strength. Also, children are not given antipyretic drugs if their body temperature is less than 38 degrees.

Emergency assistance for a runny nose and cough is provided depending on the age of the child:

For infants and children under one year of age, mucus is removed using an aspirator or rubber bulb. Before cleansing, saline solution or Aquamaris is instilled into each nasal passage. Sprays are not used in this case. Safe folk remedies for young children are diluted carrot or beet juice.

Aquamaris is used to cleanse the nose.
Babies 1-3 years old have their noses cleaned in the same way as infants, provided that they do not know how to blow their nose on their own. Washing occurs according to the following scheme: the child is placed in front of the container and his head is tilted slightly to the side. A saline solution is injected into the nostril located above using a bulb. Similar actions are repeated for the other side. After rinsing, you can drop Vibrocil or Nazivin into your nose.
Children over 3 years old are allowed to use special creams for the common cold and traditional medicine. Steam inhalations with the addition of fir or eucalyptus oil have proven effective in combating coughs and snot.

Folk remedies

The possibility of using natural ingredients for illness in children should be discussed with a pediatrician. Not all of them are suitable for children. Adults are recommended to use alternative medicine recipes as a complement to drug therapy. List of popular remedies for symptoms:

Decoction of plantain, linden and St. John's wort: 2 tbsp. herbs mixed in equal proportions, pour 2 cups of boiling water and leave for 6 hours. The medicine is drunk 4 times a day, 100 ml on an empty stomach. It must be said that this remedy is not used for treatment up to 2 years.

To treat an unpleasant symptom, use plantain decoction
Instillation of Kalanchoe juice into each nostril. The procedure is carried out 3 times a day. 3-4 days after therapy, the runny nose will begin to go away.
Aloe juice. The plant is crushed and the liquid is squeezed out of it. The product is mixed with water in a 1:1 ratio and used to gargle and drop into the nasal passages. The folk remedy has proven itself especially well in the fight against colds and flu.

Such a harmless symptom as coughing from snot can ultimately be complicated by pneumonia and bronchitis. Therefore, at the first symptoms of the disease, it is necessary to take measures to thin the mucus and remove sputum from the upper respiratory tract. Doctors advise walking more in the fresh air when there is no fever, drinking plenty of fluids and ventilating the room more often. The initial stages of the problem can be easily eliminated without drug treatment. These rules are general for both adults and children.

How to treat green snot, see below: