A strong cough in a child may indicate a different condition of a fragile organism. Sometimes it’s even difficult to decide whether it is worth it to immediately sound an alarm or you can handle it at home. In any case, if the baby develops a prolonged cough, it is recommended to show it to the doctor to clarify the reasons and make the diagnosis. Even if the cough is very strong, it is not an independent disease. It is provoked by the body, as a protective reaction, to rid the respiratory tract of infection or a mechanical irritant.
Types of cough
Severe cough in a child is divided into two types:
- Productive (or wet when sputum goes away when coughing).
- Unproductive (or dry).
It should be remembered that newborn babies younger than 4-5 months do not cough very much with standard acute respiratory infections. If this happens, then the help of a doctor is required immediately.
Understanding the type of cough helps with identifying the disease and how to treat it. But they do not eliminate the cough itself, but the causes that caused it.
Physiological reasons
Any person, including a child, can sometimes cough. This is necessary for the body to clean the bronchi, pharynx and trachea from dust, accumulated sputum. Such a manifestation is considered the norm and most often occurs in the morning. Therefore, if the baby coughed a couple of times and nothing else bothers him, you should not worry.
More often, a warm and dry air in the house can provoke a cough. The reason may be room dust. Children are especially affected during the heating season, so it is recommended to use humidifiers and often ventilate the room.
Pathological problem
A strong cough in a child may be different depending on the cause. Unlike physiological, in this case the problem is in bacteria or viruses. Most often, a cough is observed if the baby:
- pharyngitis, laryngitis;
- flu;
- tracheitis;
- bronchitis;
- tonsillitis;
- tuberculosis;
- ARI or ARVI;
- pneumonia.
However, the cause of coughing can be not only infection. Often a similar problem occurs with narrowing of the bronchi. This condition can provoke a foreign body, or an attack of bronchial asthma. In this case, a strong cough occurs in a child without fever, and the baby chokes, his breathing is difficult and his voice disappears. In this situation, an ambulance is called immediately.
Non-standard reasons
A strong cough in a child can be caused by allergic causes. After eliminating the allergen, the problem goes away by itself. In this case, there are no signs of a cold. However, there may be lacrimation and a runny nose.
The problem can occur against the background of helminthic invasion. Some larvae can parasitize in the lung tissue, causing attacks of suffocation, irritating the respiratory receptors. Worms can move along the esophagus, penetrate the throat and cause coughing.
Depending on the cause, the cough can be different: dry, barking, paroxysmal, deaf, anguished, wet. By its type, an experienced doctor can make a preliminary diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment.
Dry cough
The most obsessive, preventing a child from playing and sleeping is coughing. At the same time, sputum does not form, so it causes a sore throat and causes many problems for both children and parents. The danger is that if it is illiterate to treat, then such a cough will develop into a chronic one.
A strong cough in a child at night occurs more often. This is due to the horizontal position when the pharynx and trachea are in a somewhat constricted state. Therefore, it is recommended that children be placed on high pillows in this case.
False croup
Dangerous disease, especially for babies. The older the child becomes, the more likely it is that he will outgrow this problem. The malaise is associated with the structural features of the respiratory tract of young children. Any inflammation can provoke severe swelling of the larynx and, accordingly, suffocation. The first sign is a strong cough in a child with a temperature, moreover, a barking character. Often an attack begins at night. Requires an immediate ambulance call.
Difference of false croup from the usual ARI:
- hoarseness of voice;
- shortness of breath and shortness of breath;
- blanching or turning blue of the nasolabial triangle;
- angry, barking cough;
- when you inhale, a whistle is heard.
Before the doctor arrives, you must sit with the baby in the bathroom, opening the tap with water. The child should be reassured, because panic only exacerbates the process.
Productive (wet) cough
When a strong dry cough in a child becomes productive, with the formation and coughing up sputum, then the disease has turned back. This condition no longer causes anxiety and, with proper treatment, passes quickly. Such a cough helps the bronchi to free themselves from pathogenic microorganisms.
Whooping cough
A strong cough in a child before vomiting may indicate whooping cough. The disease is characteristic of preschool children. At the beginning, coughing is difficult to distinguish from that which occurs with acute respiratory infections. However, after a few days, attacks, cramping and vomiting appear.
The disease is insidious with its complications. Therefore, if coughing up to vomiting is observed, the cyanosis of the skin and the rhythm of breathing are lost, then a doctor's consultation is required. Children up to a year must be hospitalized.
Fortunately, if the parents follow the vaccination schedule, then the child is not threatened with the disease, or will pass in a mild form.
How to help
When a strong cough occurs in a child, what to do excites all caring parents. First of all, it is necessary to show the baby to a specialist. Some types of disease can be very dangerous. To alleviate the condition of the child, there are several general recommendations that will not harm in any case:
- Offer the patient as much fluid as possible. It can be just warm water, tea. But it is better to use fruit drinks and fruit drinks. It is useful to brew and drink a rosehip broth.
- In the room to maintain an optimal level of humidity, often ventilate the room.
- The child can be moved a lot to improve sputum discharge. But at a temperature it is better to offer the patient a quiet pastime.
It is now fashionable to use essential oils to relieve coughs. They are added to the moisturizer, the handkerchief is soaked. However, without the permission of the pediatrician, this is not worth doing. Essential oil can trigger bronchospasm.
Medication treatment
Depending on the disease, the doctor will prescribe drugs. Often parents make a mistake and offer the baby cough syrup when he is actively forming sputum. In this case, it stagnates. Otherwise, if the child has a dry cough, then medications for sputum discharge will only aggravate the process.
If a child has a strong cough, what to treat depends on its type:
- Dry, intrusive, interfering with sleep and eating - antitussive drugs.
- Unproductive, but not interfering with sleep and unobtrusive - helping to expectorant expectoration.
- With difficult and viscous sputum - mucolytic drugs.
Pharmacies offer different types of medicines. They are available in the form of tablets, suspensions, syrups or powders. It is better for small children to offer the drug in liquid form.
Sputum expectorant
A group of drugs designed to remove sputum from the respiratory tract. Most often they are based on medicinal herbs, therefore they are safe. The most famous are:
- "Herbion".
- Flavamed.
- "Prospan".
- Ambrobene.
- "Lazolvan."
- "Ambroxol".
However, any of them has its contraindications and the recommended age of use. So, "Prosan" can not be offered to children under 6 months. Others use it only after the child reaches 2 years. Therefore, if a month a child and a severe cough bothers him, then only the doctor will select the necessary medicine and calculate its dosage depending on weight and history.
Mucolytic drugs
If the child suffers from a cough with thick sputum, then he will be prescribed mucolytics. In this case, the doctor may prescribe:
- "ACC".
- "Bronchobos."
- "Carbocysteine."
- Flavamed.
- Fluditec.
Medications relieve cough, make it more productive and remove sputum.
Antitussive drugs
When the baby coughs for a long time and painfully, he needs to suppress the cough reflex. After all, it does not bring relief and does not contribute to the discharge of sputum. The pharmacy has many similar drugs, but they have limitations in taking and contraindications:
- "Codeine". Narcotic medicine, can be addictive. Therefore, it is used only under the supervision of the attending physician and is usually not used in pediatric practice.
- Sinecode, Butamirat, Oxeladine. They do not contain narcotic substances, are safe and effective when taken correctly. The scheme is prescribed by the pediatrician.
Important. Simultaneous administration of antitussive and expectorant drugs is prohibited. Also, antitussive drugs can not be offered with a wet and productive cough. This will lead to multiple accumulation of mucus in the airways and purulent inflammation.
Bronchodilators
If the baby has asthma or some other lung diseases, the doctor will recommend bronchodilators. They relieve bronchospasm, facilitate breathing and relieve inflammation. It can be:
- "Broncholitin".
- "Eufillin."
- Theophylline.
Folk ways to relieve cough
When the doctor examines the baby, prescribes appropriate treatment, you can add to it safe means of alternative medicine. This will help speed up the process and alleviate the condition of the child. However, it is worth considering possible contraindications and individual reactions of a small child.
The following recipes are considered the most effective and popular for cough:
- Black radish juice mixed with sugar and honey. But honey is a strong allergen, so children should not be given up to a year.
- Fruit drink from viburnum berries. You can use fresh or frozen.
- For infants, a decoction of anise seeds is well suited.
- To ease an attack of dry cough, you can drink the juice of freshly squeezed carrots with sugar.
- With bronchitis, onion juice with sugar is indicated.
- With a dry cough that makes it difficult to sleep at night, you can try to offer lemon juice with honey and medical glycerin.
To alleviate any type of cough, it is recommended to purchase a home nebulizer. If there are no recommendations for medications, then saline is used.