Respiratory diseases in childhood manifest themselves in different ways: from mild malaise to high fever. The most dangerous form of the ailment that has arisen is a frequent dry cough in a child. Experienced parents know that this is due to the penetration of microbes, viruses or a foreign body into the upper respiratory tract. If the root cause cannot be established, then a doctor should be consulted.
Varieties of productive cough
What help to provide in the body's defensive reaction to infection, what to do? If you notice that your child begins to cough loudly without sputum discharge, complains of pain in the larynx, as well as in the thoracic region, then, as a rule, this is a dry or unproductive cough. Here you need to be as careful as possible, since it often provokes edema and inflammation of the laryngeal mucosa, ultimately completely blocking the child's airways.
Self-medication and home therapy are then excluded. It is necessary to call an ambulance, and before its arrival, take the child to fresh air or open windows in the house for ventilation.
Characteristics of the symptom
Frequent and dry coughs are of two types - deep and shallow. It is possible to distinguish them from each other, and for this it is not necessary to have a medical education.
The pulmonary type, or deep, most often worries the child at night and requires observation. It is quite tough, with attacks of suffocation, it is difficult for the patient to clear his throat. After the attack, the baby complains of chest pain, since it is most involved in the process. A shallow cough is difficult to determine visually; only a pediatrician can qualify it when listening. His attacks do not last long, but due to the tension in the larynx, a loss of voice is observed, the child begins to wheeze.
In both cases, it is better not to resort to home treatment, but to visit an ENT doctor in order to choose effective therapeutic agents, taking into account the type of cough and the individual characteristics of the child. To eliminate inflammation of the larynx, antiseptic drugs are prescribed, for example, bioparox.
How to ease the suffering of a sick person
As noted above, wasting seizures provoke infection of the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract. Specialists prefer to prescribe complex therapy to relieve the manifestation of symptoms.
At home, it is possible to use the preparations "Oki" and "Tantum Verde". The first relieves choking, and the second, like a solution for gargling the throat, prevents the exacerbation of inflammatory processes in it.
Such treatment should be perceived as first aid methods. When coughing attacks do not respond to therapy, you should see a specialist. Most likely, the pathological process has affected the bronchi and lung tissue, and this requires the appointment of antibacterial agents.
What you should pay attention to
Wheezing and heavy breathing indicate the presence of phlegm in the lungs, which is a sign of pneumonia or acute bronchitis. In this case, a dry cough should be treated with antibiotics and sputum-thinning medications. If all the doctor's recommendations are followed, recovery occurs in 10-12 days.
If, while listening, it is not possible to identify the symptoms described above, an X-ray diagnosis is prescribed. In some cases, the absence of wheezing and the presence of a dry cough indicates a pulmonary infection. Therapy for the disease depends on the type of pathogen - most often it is mycoplasmosis or chlamydia, although the methods and content of treatment are similar.
If an unproductive cough after a child's bronchitis is accompanied by sputum production, then this is considered normal, and within a short time the symptoms will disappear on their own. It is imperative to consult a doctor to prescribe additional treatment when its manifestations reappear.
Dry cough therapy
Treatment of diseases with such symptoms at home includes:
- compliance with the prescriptions of the attending physician;
- complete rest;
- bed rest;
- plentiful warm drink;
- complex of vitamins;
- diet;
- compliance with sanitary conditions in the room.
To eliminate excessive irritation of the laryngeal mucosa, low-fat broths and steamed meat products should be included in the diet.
As for the drug treatment of acute manifestations of respiratory diseases, the pharmacy offers a lot of different candies and syrups, depending on the age category. In order not to subsequently subject the child to long-term, debilitating therapy, doctors are actively promoting preventive measures to parents. To strengthen the immune system, in order to avoid infection in contact with sick children, Derinat is considered effective, the use of which is permissible from the first year of life.
If a dry, exhausting cough torments the child at night, and there are no medications at hand, you can get by with a teaspoon of natural honey, which, enveloping the mucous membrane of the throat, softens the attack. This treatment is not recommended for allergic reactions to bee products. Alternatively, you can use warm milk with a teaspoon of butter.
Indoor air becomes an additional source of manifestation of the described symptoms. In winter, to eliminate the problem, a container with water is placed next to the heating devices. It is imperative that the child's room is ventilated before going to bed and wet cleaning is carried out in it.
Some traditional medicine recipes can be used to relieve dry coughs. Take one large lemon with a thin skin and boil it over medium heat for 15 minutes. Cut into several pieces and squeeze out the juice thoroughly, strain through a sieve or gauze cloth. Add 2 tablespoons of sterile glycerin for internal use (it can be purchased at any pharmacy) and the same amount of honey (preferably natural) to the resulting liquid. Mix the resulting mixture thoroughly and increase the volume to 250 ml by adding hot water. Take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.
Such a mixture will help eliminate residual manifestations of the disease in 4-6 days. Milk with a small portion of cocoa butter and honey is useful. In combination with drug treatment, the use of such funds will increase its productivity and speed up the healing process.
But, as practice shows, parents prefer pharmaceuticals to traditional medicine, for example, various syrups. When buying them, it is imperative to pay attention to the expiration date and age indications for use.
And yet - self-medication can aggravate the course of the disease or provoke a number of complications.
Antitussive drugs
The appointment of these drugs is advisable for prolonged dry cough accompanying the child during the day and intensifying at night. The attending physician will help you choose the most effective remedy, so his recommendations cannot be ignored. The dry cough treatment regimen involves taking
- agents that thin and increase the amount of mucus;
- expectorant drugs to remove phlegm;
- mucolytics - to eliminate symptoms and recover the patient.
The use of combined drugs, for example, "Stopusin" - an expectorant and antitussive drug, has a productive effect on the healing process.
A remedy with the same pharmacological characteristics - "Sinekod", is very popular today.In the form of drops, it is prescribed for infants, and the syrup is recommended for use in the third year of life and beyond. The components of the drug, facilitating coughing, accelerate the healing process.
Mucolytic drugs
They are prescribed when changing the type of cough, to increase phlegm and its subsequent removal from the body. It can be:
- "ACC 100";
- Ambrobene;
- "Lazolvan".
"ACTS 100" is prescribed for children when diagnosing acute bronchitis or laryngitis. It is used in the form of a syrup, 1 teaspoon, no more than 3 times a day. The drug should not be taken with other groups of antitussive drugs.
"Ambrobene" has a secretory effect, stimulates the acceleration of stagnant processes. Effective for chronic and acute bronchitis, as well as dry cough against the background of bronchial asthma. Children use it in the form of a syrup. It is recommended both as an oral solution and as an inhaler.
"Lazolvan" based on ambroxol hydrochloride relieves and reduces coughing attacks, promotes mucus elimination. The drug is well tolerated, indications for use are similar to the previous drug.
Also, when dry cough and fever are observed, "Mukaltin" or "Doctor Mom" is recommended. The action of the drugs is aimed at expanding the lumen of the bronchi. The tool effectively eliminates the inflammatory process, relieves swelling and reduces the number of symptoms. The preparations are based on medicinal herbs and have practically no side effects and contraindications.
Conclusions
Timely access to a doctor, correct diagnosis and an individual approach to the choice of treatment, care and attention will contribute to the quick recovery of your child.
