Barking cough in a child without fever with a runny nose Komarovsky. Barking cough in children Komarovsky treatment Causes of cough in children without fever

Hello everyone! For the first time I learned about croup from the program of O. Komarovsky, there was a program in which he told in detail what it is and what to do if an attack occurs. To be honest, I remember this episode of the program to this day, I was so scared by what he talked about in it. Still, when your child starts to choke in the middle of the night, then not a single parent can help but get flustered and panic. At that time, my son was not even a year old, and it was a little reassuring that ...

Now a lot of kids are sick. And not all parents know how to deal with it. Therefore, in order to know what SHOULD be done and what SHOULD NOT be done ever, I propose an article by E. Komarovsky on this topic. I know that he has a lot of controversial things, but in the treatment of children, I think he is quite competent. Well, at the end I also give a few references about temperature, -ferons, "prophylactic" drugs. Acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI)

Parents are most worried when their children develop a dry, barking cough. Treatment of dry cough usually takes a long time, sometimes with an exacerbation of the pathology and severe consequences. Yevgeny Komarovsky says that cough is a protective reaction of the body to external stimuli, and it is the cause of its manifestation that needs to be treated.

The reasons

The pediatrician, Evgeny Komarovsky, identifies the following causes of barking cough in children:

• allergic reaction;
• infectious diseases;
• foreign body in the throat;
• diphtheria;
• whooping cough;
• pharyngitis;
• laryngitis;
• increased dryness of the air;
• bronchial asthma;
• nervous breakdown;
• cystic neoplasms;
• inflamed throat.

Children under the age of five are most susceptible to bouts of barking cough. Parents should remember that in infants, coughing can be a protective reaction to dust. Dr. Komarovsky spoke about this more than once. A persistent dry cough that does not worsen the general condition of the body is called nervous. In this case, the child must be shown to the pediatrician.

In cases where the cough is accompanied by an allergic reaction, vomiting, fever, shortness of breath, parents should immediately contact a specialist. In such a situation, it is not necessary to treat children on their own until the true cause of the cough is established.

How to Diagnose

Yevgeny Komarovsky distinguishes two types of cough in children: wet and dry. With a wet type of illness, the lungs are released from mucus and sputum, which facilitates breathing, improves the general condition of the patient. Dry cough is also called barking, as the child is not able to clear his throat on his own, he has difficulty breathing, his voice sits down and begins to hoarse.

To diagnose this disease, it is enough to listen to how your child coughs. The sound when coughing is similar to the barking of a dog, but is due to the fact that the voice changes due to a slight swelling in the larynx. It is most pronounced at night and early in the morning, because at this time the lungs are ventilated at a slower pace, sputum accumulates and causes severe seizures in children.

Such a cough may be accompanied by sore throat, runny nose, fever, slight inflammation of the lymph nodes. In addition, frequent companions are chest pain due to strong muscle tension. Weakness, fatigue and dizziness appear in children as a result of a lack of oxygen. A barking cough is dangerous because the swelling of the mucous membrane of the larynx increases, as a result of which suffocation may occur.

The disease is not always accompanied by infection or inflammation. Cough can begin in a completely healthy baby. Call an ambulance immediately if you experience symptoms such as high fever with chills or fever, increased salivation, diarrhea, discoloration of the skin, swelling of the throat, asthma attacks. Self-treatment of children, with such symptoms, is categorically not recommended.

Video "How to quickly cure"

Treatment according to Komarovsky with temperature

You need to start by eliminating the main cause of the disease. It is important to treat not cough, but the disease of which it is a symptom. In the body of a child there is something that irritates the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract and leads to the accumulation of sputum. It is necessary to eliminate the causative agent or irritant, and after a while the cough will stop on its own.

If this is a consequence of a bacterial infection, then an antibiotic may be prescribed. With allergies - antiallergic drugs, but if it is a viral infection, then you need to help the body cope with it faster. And so, if children have a fever and cough, Dr. Evgeny Komarovsky advises parents to adhere to the following rules for treatment:

• the child needs calm, do not worry him, otherwise the cough will only get worse;
• the air in the room should be fresh and moist, as this facilitates breathing and promotes rapid expectoration. Ventilate the room as often as possible, and do not be lazy to do wet cleaning at least once a day;
• give your child plenty of fluids as often as possible. It can be tea, juice, warm water, decoctions of chamomile, linden, rosehip. The more liquid the baby drinks, the faster the sputum liquefies, and expectoration occurs;
• do not be afraid to undress the child, so the temperature will drop faster, and it will become much easier for the patient to breathe. Clothing can compress the respiratory system;
• it is not recommended to bring down the temperature to 38.5 degrees. If the body temperature rises, give antipyretic drugs. But do not overdo it, antipyretics greatly affect the liver;
• do not rub the back and chest with ointments that contain essential oils. They can provoke a severe allergic reaction;
• regular inhalations with mineral water contribute to the removal of sputum and mucus from the body;
• you can massage the chest and back with light stroking movements, this will make breathing easier.

A barking cough with fever in children can be a dangerous symptom that needs to be treated as soon as possible to prevent an aggravation of the disease. It is strongly not recommended to independently prescribe and give medicines to a child.

Since various complications can appear against the background of a cough, it is not known how this will affect his future life. Therefore, do not risk the health of your beloved child and immediately contact the specialists. Only a doctor can find out the real cause by prescribing the appropriate treatment.

And so, if the doctor prescribed a course of treatment, then it is important to know how each remedy can help the patient, and how it will affect the patient's body. Firstly, the right medicines should affect the condition of the sputum, that is, make it less viscous. In most cases, medications increase the amount of mucus that collects on the lining of the respiratory tract and is easy to cough up. Also, drugs slow down the inflammatory process on the upper tissues of the epithelium.

They optimize the work of the ciliated epithelium, improve the contractile function of the bronchi. Dr. Evgeny Komarovsky says that dry cough should be treated at the first stage so that it turns into a wet form. The reflex must remove the infection that has accumulated in the body so that the sick child gets better.

Treatment without fever

If your child has a barking cough due to a viral infection, Evgeny Komarovsky recommends starting treatment for children by following simple rules.

• maintain the required level of humidity in the room. Use devices to humidify the air, while it should be warm, fresh and humid. In the absence of a device, during the heating season it is necessary to lay out wet rags on batteries, thus increasing the humidity in the room;
• free the child from uncomfortable and tight clothing. Pressure on the chest can lead to an aggravation of the general condition. If an attack of coughing begins on the street, immediately open his chest - unbutton his outer clothing and massage his chest with light movements;
• during a severe attack of coughing, you should not force the child to drink water, tea or other drinks, you should not give medicines and feed, there is a high probability of choking or choking. This can lead to suffocation.

• inhaling regularly with mineral water at room temperature is the best way to make breathing easier for a child. When inhaled, moisture directly affects the condition of sputum, quickly diluting them.
• you can carry out hot procedures - put mustard plasters, compresses, take a hot bath and warm the throat. Remember, in no case should you put mustard plasters on your chest, so you will only make it worse. We put mustard plasters only on the lower limbs - on the feet. This will increase the outflow of blood to the legs, while reducing it in the larynx, preventing swelling in the throat.
• let the patient drink as much liquid as possible with a high content of vitamin C. For this, lingonberry juice, a decoction of rose hips or viburnum are suitable.

According to Dr. Evgeny Komarovsky, cough treatment will be easy and fast, as soon as you create a child-friendly atmosphere in the house, including proper nutrition, the intake of vitamins and calories, as well as other useful trace elements.

Video "Treatment of cough in children"

In order to properly cure this disease in your child, we advise you to familiarize yourself with the information that Dr. Komarovsky offers. The tips can be used as a working treatment guide.

A barking cough in a child can take a different form: dry, wet, paroxysmal. The point of therapy is to transform it into a productive one. This can be done not with the help of medicines, but by changing the parameters of the air that the little patient inhales. It is very important to determine the cause of the barking cough and eliminate it in time. Some diseases that are characterized by such a cough can be life-threatening.

What medicines for dry cough for adults are most often prescribed, indicated in this article.

The reasons

As a rule, the barking cough of children at any age affects. If coughing attacks do not provoke difficulty breathing, then these are signs of laryngeal edema. In a child, it is narrow, and when the inflammatory process affects it, it still decreases in size. Inflammation in SARS affects not only the larynx, but also the vocal cords. This is what causes a hoarse voice during a barking cough.
There is a cough of this nature with the following pathologies:

• whooping cough and parawhooping cough;
• true croup;
• laryngotracheitis;
• allergic reaction;
• pharyngitis;
• laryngitis;
• congenital diseases;
• the presence of a foreign body in the larynx.

How to treat a dry cough in a child and which syrup is best to use. indicated in this article.

Therapeutic activities

Treatment of barking cough in young patients should be comprehensive. This is the only way to eliminate seizures and improve the patient's well-being. The question arises, what to treat and what to do.

Inhalations

This treatment option may involve the use of steam inhalation and with the help of a nebulizer. If you decide to use hot steam, then such manipulations are allowed when the cause of the barking cough is bronchitis or laryngitis. Steam inhalations can eliminate swelling of the larynx, moisturize the mucous membrane, activate the process of sputum production, and reduce coughing fits. To perform the treatment, it is necessary to use decoctions of medicinal herbs.
When symptoms of difficulty breathing are present, the use of hot steam is strictly prohibited. It can cause the larynx to swell and block the narrow passage.

For inhalation, you can use a nebulizer. The presented device is considered the best remedy for barking dry cough. With the help of a nebulizer, a drug is sprayed that penetrates the respiratory tract.

How a cough manifests itself during teething in children is indicated in this article.

You can replace the drugs with mineral water for inhalation. If such a device is not available, then it is worth putting the baby together with an ultrasonic humidifier. The result of such treatment is the maximum saturation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract with moisture.

Taking medicines

To alleviate the condition of the child can help antihistamines, which are sold in a pharmacy in large quantities. The most popular and effective are:

When the treatment of a barking cough occurs in a baby under 3 years old, then it is necessary to purchase antihistamines in the form of a syrup.

How to treat a wheezing cough in a child can be found in this article.

It is very important to take expectorant and antitussive medicines. For these purposes, the doctor may prescribe:

When a rough barking cough arose due to acute laryngotracheitis, it is necessary to convert a dry cough into a wet one. This will help remove bacteria from the body. For these purposes, you will need to take expectorant drugs. But you can’t use them for a long time, otherwise they can provoke a cough. You can use chest massage and light rubbing of the child's back.

How asthmatic cough is treated, you can find out by reading the article.

If the baby has a fever against the background of a barking cough, then it is worth giving him an antipyretic drug in a dosage, taking into account his age.

Emergency help to stop an attack

If your child has a strong attack of barking cough, he is suffocating, then you should immediately call an ambulance, and before her arrival, do not waste time, but act:

1. Soothe baby. Such attacks cause him a feeling of fear and panic. As a result, he may experience a spasm of the larynx or an even greater lack of air.
2. Give the child peace. It should move as little as possible. To facilitate breathing, use vasoconstrictor drops. Such actions allow you to make free nasal breathing.
3. Bring down the heat. This must be done, otherwise the high temperature will contribute to the drying of the mucus in the larynx.
4. Fill the room with fresh air. Then the baby will breathe easier. During attacks it is very important that the room was moist and cool air.
5. Perform inhalation. If you do not have a nebulizer, then you can resort to such a simple method as taking the baby to a bathtub filled with water.
6. Drink plenty of liquid, which will facilitate breathing and thin the mucus.
7. Do not give your child expectorants. Their action is aimed at removing sputum, and since the larynx is narrowed, it will be impossible to do this.

When the cough is very much tortured what to do, the information from the article will help to solve the problem.

On the video - about the causes of a strong barking cough in a child:

Features of the treatment of children of different ages

Given the age of the child, the treatment of a barking character is somewhat different. For this reason, self-therapy is unacceptable. Only a doctor can make an effective and correct treatment.

Up to a year

General cough therapy during a cold or bronchitis in children under 1 year of age is aimed at providing positive conditions for the child. Very often, various irritants can provoke a cough in such crumbs: loud noise, bright light.

Your baby's diet should contain plenty of fruits and vegetables. But make sure it was also high in calories. While coughing, the baby should take in as much liquid as possible. Then it will be possible to prevent dehydration if there is a temperature, and also to stimulate the release of sputum from the bronchi.

From this article it will become clear how you can treat a cough during pregnancy.

At this age, the child needs to drink alkaline mineral water, such as Borjomi. Its unique properties allow you to restore the water-salt balance of the body. The presence of an alkaline component helps to thin the sputum and stimulate its excretion.

For children 1-3 years old

For children of this age 1, 2 and 3 years, it is also very important to have a quiet and cozy environment. Try to protect your child from stressful situations. If the doctor allows, then you can use mustard plaster, foot baths. Such activities have a beneficial effect on the recovery process of a one-year-old child.

The room in which the baby sleeps should be filled with fresh air. In addition, wet cleaning should be carried out every day. In nutrition, it is allowed to use any food, except for peppered and salty, otherwise irritation of the laryngeal mucosa can be caused. Watch the temperature of the food, it should not be too low or too high.

What causes a night cough in an adult can be indicated in this article.

Drink enough water. You can take warm boiled water and dried fruit compote. You can not give the baby allergenic drinks - honey with milk, herbal teas. During a cold, they give a beneficial effect, but with laryngitis they should not be used.

Very useful for barking cough inhalation with a nebulizer. This device is absolutely easy to use and safe for the health of the baby.

After 3 years

Treatment of barking cough in children after 3 years of age should include measures that will prevent the transition of the disease into a chronic form. It should be prescribed by a doctor who, after the necessary examination, will be able to prescribe the necessary medications and procedures for the child.

If a barking cough occurs with pharyngitis, then the child can take the following antibacterial drugs:

With the help of such therapy, it is possible to relieve irritation and reduce the sensitivity of the larynx. Before going on a night's rest, it is worth giving the child the antitussives prescribed by the doctor. It is not bad to perform inhalations using medicinal herbs.

How to treat a runny nose in a child who is 2 years old can be found in this article.

When a barking cough is treated for bronchitis, drugs such as Lazolvan, Bronholitin are indicated. They are taken for no more than 3 days, and then expectorant medications are included in the treatment.

With allergies, it is advisable to prescribe antihistamines. In this case, the doctor takes into account the age of the patient and his individual characteristics.

During the treatment of whooping cough, the doctor prescribes a complex of antibiotics, antibacterial and antitussive drugs. If there is such a need, then antihistamines can be added. With a combination of barking cough and high fever, it is worth using antipyretic drugs.

What to do when a baby has a cough and a runny nose, but there is no temperature, this article will tell.

Features of treatment, if there are additional symptoms

The treatment of a barking cough is complicated when, in combination with it, the child is struck by the temperature and hoarseness of the voice.

High temperatures

With such a development of events, it is necessary to immediately call an ambulance. Such a cough with a temperature carries a great danger, because a high temperature is a sign that the body cannot cope with the disease on its own.

Before the ambulance arrives, you can give the child an antipyretic drug and provide him with plenty of fluids. Monitor the temperature in the room and the clothes that the baby is wearing. It should be loose and not hot. Ventilate the room in which your child sleeps. Such conditions make him feel lighter.

hoarse voice

Often such a symptom with a barking cough occurs due to acute laryngitis. Then it is worth using Bioparox and Kameton sprays in therapy. They have a softening effect and allow you to alleviate the condition of an already damaged mucosa.

If the child is hoarse, then gargling is absolutely inappropriate. Here you need to observe voice rest, that is, talk less. Do not eat spicy, sour and burning food.

Komarovsky's opinion

Dr. Komarovsky is of the opinion that with a barking cough, after discovering the cause of its development, certain drugs can be used. Cough in children should not be suppressed with medication, it should be alleviated. If the cough is not cured, then this contributes to the accumulation of a large amount of mucus in the lungs. As a result, this will lead to serious complications.

In the video, Dr. Komarovsky talks about how to treat a barking cough in a child:

Barking cough can be a symptom of various diseases and be accompanied by high fever, hoarseness. It is necessary to prescribe therapeutic measures only after a thorough diagnosis and on the basis of the diagnosis.

ProLor.ru

barking cough

A dry, sharp cough that resembles barking is often associated with laryngotracheitis (croup). This is the name given to swelling around the larynx, which can lead to blockage of the airways. In such cases, small children are especially vulnerable, when a barking cough easily blocks the airways, which are already small in babies. At the first symptoms of such a cough, both children and adults should seek qualified medical help.

Causes of barking cough

There are a lot of causes of barking or paroxysmal cough, but more often it occurs with inflammation of the respiratory tract. Viral infections may or may not have a fever, but a sore throat and a dry or wet cough are always present. Inflammation of the respiratory tract can be observed in adults and children, if the correct treatment is provided in time, then relief of the condition comes as early as 3-4 days. Laryngitis is usually accompanied by the following symptoms:

• painful swallowing;
• perspiration, dryness in the throat;
• loss of appetite;
• fast fatiguability;
• hoarseness of voice.

False croup or laryngitis causes a constant cough in a child under three years of age, and even a slight swelling of the larynx can completely cut off oxygen in the baby, which will lead to suffocation. Croup in school-age children and adults is not so terrible, and 90% of people tolerate the disease without complications and even without fever. Barking cough can be caused by asthma or allergic bronchitis. In this case, there are side symptoms in the form of redness of the skin, itching, runny nose. Allergic cough with barking is not treated in the usual ways, so each patient needs individual therapy.

How to calm a cough

A strong cough, like barking, which is not coughed up day or night, is a very painful condition. If the cough reflex is wet and accompanied by phlegm, then it performs a useful cleansing function for the body. But if a barking and dry cough haunts a small or adult person, then you need to know how to treat it in order to help the body cope with the disease faster.

With a severe attack of coughing in adults, a doctor may prescribe serious medications containing codeine (a narcotic substance) that instantly blocks the cough center in the brain. You can try to remove the constant attack of coughing barking in a child with the help of folk remedies. What to give to babies from a year old will be decided by the doctor after finding out the cause of the disease.

Antitussive drugs

The principle of treatment is to transform a dry barking cough attack into a wet one. The healing process will begin when sputum is removed from the lungs, and with it particles of infection will leave the body. Doctors at the very beginning of treatment prescribe medications (syrup) for expectorant action for adults and young patients, which contribute to the expansion of the bronchi. These include:

• "Glycodin". For children up to a year and adults. It contains the active substance dextromethorphan, with which the threshold of sensitivity rises in the cough center, the channels are blocked, so the drug almost immediately contributes to the complete suppression of the problem.
• "Gederin". For adults and children from 1 year old. Treats the disease with ivy extract, which gently affects the larynx, relieving irritation, promoting expectoration. The drug quickly removes pathogenic bacteria from the body.
• "Prospan". A drug that is indicated for infants and babies up to a year. It belongs to the group of herbal medicines based on ivy leaves. The main active agent has an antitussive, antispasmodic, antimicrobial effect.

Folk remedies

Treatment of inflamed airways with folk remedies involves drinking plenty of water and inhalation. In addition, in the patient's room, you need to constantly increase the level of humidity, regularly ventilate the room, make warm baths for hands and feet. Effective folk remedies:

1. Take 1 tbsp. l. flowers of calendula or chamomile, brew in 2 liters of boiled water, wrap the container and let it brew for 10 minutes. Then do inhalation for 15 minutes daily until complete recovery. Also for these purposes, herbs such as St. John's wort, sage, plantain are perfect.
2. Grind a glass of hazelnuts, add 0.5 cups of liquid honey, mix until smooth. Use a teaspoon with each coughing fit, drinking the mixture with warm milk.
3. Finely chop 10 onions and one head of garlic. Boil until soft in 0.5 liter of milk. Add 20 grams of honey to the resulting mixture. Use 1 tbsp. l. during the day every hour. The effect will be instant - the inflammation of the larynx will decrease, the cough will subside.

Allergic cough treatment

Any remedy for dry cough caused by an allergic reaction is designed to slow down the cough reflex, reducing susceptibility to the allergen. People who are prone to such a disease begin to take cold medicine, but this only aggravates the situation. It is necessary to quickly remove allergic manifestations:

• antiallergic drugs: "Nozaneks", "Kromaglin";
• antihistamines: "Suprastin", "Ascoril";
• decongestant drugs: "Otrivin", "Nazivin";
• mast cell membrane stabilizers: "Zaditen", "Ketotifen";
• glucocorticoids: Beklazon, Flixonase.

Video: Komarovsky about a barking cough in a child

A strong barking cough in a child is associated with various diseases, so it is better not to make a diagnosis on your own, but to contact a pediatrician at the first symptoms of an inflamed airway. If it is impossible to call a doctor quickly for some reason, then you need to alleviate the condition with steam inhalations with herbs, soda, sunflower oil and drink warm drinks in large quantities. The well-known doctor Komarovsky, who knows everything about childhood diseases, will tell more about coughing in the video:

sovets.net

A child's cough is always a cause for concern for parents, let alone a dry, hysterical, barking cough. Most often, children under the age of five suffer from it due to the peculiarities of the structure of the larynx. Their lumen is much narrower than in adults, so any virus can cause swelling of the larynx and difficulty breathing.

If the cough is episodic and does not last long, it does not cause much concern. This may be the body's response to dust or small particles of food entering the throat. As a rule, such a cough goes away on its own.

Symptoms

• Dry prolonged or paroxysmal cough.
• Temperature increase.
• Problems with the vocal cords, frequent loss of voice.
• Wheezing breath.
• Nocturnal fits of coughing that wake the child.
• Shortness of breath and symptoms of suffocation.

In such cases, it is better not to hesitate and seek qualified help. Sometimes hospitalization is required, especially if the child is small enough. Alternative methods and the refusal of a medical examination can aggravate the situation and lead to a tragic result, so it’s better to treat such a cough with the support of doctors.

From this article you can learn how to treat tracheid cough.

On the video - talks about the causes and treatment of a barking cough in a child without fever:

The reasons

The main rule of treatment: cough is not a disease, but one of the symptoms of the disease, therefore, a complete picture of what is happening is required in order to eliminate the cause and avoid the consequences.

How to treat bronchitis and cough in an adult, you can learn from this article.

Diphtheria and whooping cough are the most serious threats on this list. These infectious diseases are characterized by a complex course and a high risk of side effects. For prevention, vaccinations are used, which must be done as early as infancy, and then fixed with revaccination. Refusal to vaccinate should have a strong medical indication, and not parental arguments. In any case, the risk from vaccination is incomparably less than from the disease itself.

The most common cause of a barking dry cough is recognized as infectious diseases, which are not always accompanied by high fever and runny nose. In some cases, the only, but very significant symptom will be just a dry paroxysmal cough.

For what reason there is a paroxysmal dry cough, indicated in this article.

To rule out pneumonia and bronchitis, the pediatrician usually gives a referral for an X-ray examination, and general blood and urine tests are also needed, which will give more complete information about the possible causes.

Special recommendations about regular air humidification. Excessively dry air can in itself provoke a strong cough due to the drying of the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx. Buying a humidifier or home methods to combat this phenomenon (hang wet towels on batteries, put a basin of water), and if necessary, periodically lubricate the sinuses and drink plenty of water, will quickly soothe a dry cough.

For what reason a wheezing cough occurs in a child, you can find out from this article.

In the case of an allergic cough, in addition to standard tests, a detailed test for most known allergens may be needed. The cost of such an analysis is quite high, but sometimes this is the only way to find out the cause of the allergy. If you already know the “culprit” of the cough, for example, a hereditary allergy or contact with a provoking factor, you can immediately begin treatment.

Why there is a cough due to mucus in the nasopharynx is indicated in the article.

How to treat

First of all, you need to find out the root cause, and only then proceed to treatment. If an allergic attack is usually relieved with antihistamines (in especially severe situations, hospitalization may also be necessary). The ingress of a foreign object into the throat is also a critical situation in which the score is kept for seconds. It is better to study the algorithm of actions in advance so as not to get confused or harm the child with inept movements.

Infectious and viral diseases are best treated with mucal drugs prescribed by a doctor. Sometimes it is advisable to take antiviral or immunostimulating drugs at the same time. It is equally important to provide suitable living conditions. Regular airing, drinking plenty of water (your favorite compote or delicious berry juice is more suitable than medicinal decoctions) and light food contribute to the speedy recovery of no less than medications.

For what reason there is a cough, runny nose, sore throat without fever, you can find out from this article.

The video tells about the treatment of a barking cough in a child without fever:

Good help with dry cough and steam inhalation. You can also purchase a special professional inhaler, the effectiveness of which is many times higher, but an ordinary water inhaler is also suitable. Traditional medicine does not exclude home treatments for coughs, but they are usually more aimed at relieving the symptoms of the disease.

From this article, you can find out why the baby has a cough and runny nose, but without fever.

Bacteriological diseases must be treated with antibiotics, which will be prescribed to you after the conclusion of a laboratory test. Whooping cough and diphtheria are the most serious of these, but fortunately, widespread vaccination has made the course of these diseases less difficult. Sometimes hospitalization is required, especially if the child is younger. With a mild course of the disease and a sufficiently adult patient, it can be treated at home.

In rare, fortunately, cases, a congenital malformation will be the cause of a strong dry cough, when the newborn has periodic choking and shortness of breath. Treatment will be exclusively surgical methods with good statistics of positive results.

Komarovsky's opinion

The famous pediatrician and author of many sensational methods of treating children in slightly unconventional ways, Dr. Komarovsky also does not consider dry barking cough as a separate disease. At its core, each parent is well placed to determine the severity of the problem and how to proceed.

How to treat a dry cough in an adult and what medications to use in this case are indicated in this article.

It is necessary to understand the main axiom: children get sick even in the best and most responsible parents. Instead of lamenting and blaming yourself for what happened, it is better to take action in time and provide the baby with all possible conditions for a speedy recovery.

Prevention of diseases can be called the following measures:

• Regular ventilation and air humidification. The main guarantee of good health according to Komarovsky's methods lies precisely in the constant access of fresh air to the room.
• No strong allergens in the house. It is advisable to avoid the accumulation of soft toys, hundred-year-old down pillows, wall hangings and other sources of dust. It is also not necessary to turn an apartment into an animal kennel, wool even from a harmless guinea pig can provoke severe allergies.
• It is impossible to create an increased temperature in the room with heaters or by blocking the room. If the air is sufficiently cool and humid, it will be easier for the child to breathe and cough.
• The diet should not be forced and include foods that are difficult for the stomach.. During an illness, the body throws all its forces into the fight against infectious agents or viruses. If you overload the stomach with dense food, you can not count on a quick recovery. Is the child refusing to eat? This is a normal reaction, the main task is to ensure a full drink.
• Sometimes, to get rid of an allergic cough, you should also review the child’s wardrobe.. Usually parents try to exclude synthetic fabrics for their child, but there are exceptions: bright patterns or inserts on clothes, which can provoke such a reaction.
• Cleanliness and regular wet cleaning in the house is guaranteed to get rid of the spread of infection. This will also remove dust and slightly humidify the air.

What kind of syrup can be used to treat a dry cough in a child can be found in this article.

In the video, Komarovsky tells about a barking cough in a child without fever:

The main rule of Dr. Komarovsky is not to experiment on your children and not to create conditions for them in which it will be more difficult to defeat the disease. A short walk in the fresh air will bring more benefits than lying in bed without getting out. Moderate physical activity will also not do harm, in the absence of a high temperature, of course. You should not wrap up excessively and dress the child “warmer”, this way you can achieve the opposite effect: the child will sweat and then be guaranteed to be supercooled from the slightest breeze.

For what reason there is a cough when teething in children is indicated in this article.

A reasonable approach to the treatment of the disease, timely consultation with a specialist and laboratory examinations will help to quickly find out the cause of a barking dry cough in children. An integrated approach to the treatment of the disease and the creation of comfortable conditions for the child to live guarantee the absence of problems and undesirable consequences.

ProLor.ru

Barking cough in a child - treatment and causes

A barking cough in a child can be caused by colds, infectious diseases, viruses, or allergic reactions. Diseases in which a dry barking cough develops in children:

• Laryngitis, pharyngitis - inflammation of the mucous membrane of the larynx, pharynx.
• Acute stenosing laryngotracheitis (ASLT), aka false croup, is a disease in which an infection or virus provokes the development of laryngeal edema, vocal cords in children
• Influenza, SARS, parainfluenza, adenoviruses, respiratory syncytial infections in children prone to allergies.
• True croup (diphtheria)
• Whooping cough

Thanks to vaccinations, both diphtheria and whooping cough are now rare diseases. Therefore, we will consider other causes of a barking cough in a child, the treatment of which should be immediate, since with such a cough the child suffocates. A barking cough occurs in babies from 4 months old, and in older children, most often children under five years of age suffer from it.

In the occurrence of OSLT, adenoviruses, parainfluenza, and respiratory syncytial viruses usually play a leading role. A few days after the onset of these diseases, the virus causes inflammation, severe swelling and increased mucous secretion in the vocal cords and trachea. Less commonly, the first manifestation of a virus or a cold can be swelling of the larynx and a barking cough.

In children under 5 years of age, the larynx is much narrower than in older children, so viruses can contribute to significant swelling of the laryngeal mucosa. At the same time, the lumen of the larynx is almost completely blocked, air does not enter the lungs and the child can suffocate.

If your child has the following health hazard symptoms:

• Dry, agonizing, barking cough
• Temperature rise
• Intermittent loss of voice, hoarseness
• Sometimes a rough cough, silent
• Wheezing on inhalation
• Dyspnea
• Pale complexion
• Nocturnal cough with choking attacks, from which the child wakes up,

you must immediately consult a doctor or call an ambulance. Usually false croup goes away on its own, however, 5-8% of children will need hospitalization. Self-medication is very dangerous, especially if the child is prone to allergic manifestations. In no case should you start such a cough. The pediatrician must be informed about the temperature of the child, when and how the disease began. The doctor should examine the child's throat, listen to the lungs and bronchi, send for a blood test, and possibly an x-ray of the lungs.

If the doctor recommends hospitalization, you should not refuse, after the diagnosis in the hospital, the removal of the acute period, the normalization of the condition, now you can easily refuse the services of the hospital. If a barking cough appears in a child, treatment with herbs until an accurate diagnosis and test results are established is not recommended, since they can provoke an allergy and only worsen the child's condition.

Barking cough treatment in children

What to do if a child has a strong barking cough? Here are some tips on how to deal with such cases.

• Calm yourself and calm the child

When excited, the child begins to cough even more, as the muscles of the larynx contract during excitement, it becomes harder for the child to breathe. Take the baby in your arms, calm down, sing a song, tell a fairy tale, or give a bright toy, an older child can turn on a cartoon.

• Steam inhalation

Steam inhalation is very good at helping to relieve swelling of the larynx. To make an inhalation for laryngitis, bronchitis over steam, take a pot of boiling water, (in the absence of allergies, add sage or chamomile), soda and sunflower oil. After it boils, remove from heat and seat the baby next to the pan. If the child is very young, then close the door to the kitchen and leave the pot to boil, and keep the child near the stove. Let the child breathe in beneficial fumes. Also effective in a pre-heated bathroom (boiling water), periodically bring a small child for 10-15 minutes. Moist warm air will soften the cough and make it easier for the child to breathe.

• Mineral water inhalations

This is one of the main, important means in the fight against barking cough. If there is an inhaler, then inhalations with mineral water help very well. If a strong barking cough is caused by pharyngitis, and the child is not prone to allergies, then inhalations with eucalyptus can also be done.

• Antihistamines

It is necessary to give the child an antihistamine, allergy pills, a wide variety of them: Suprastin (chloropyramine), Clemastine (tavegil), Claritin (loratidin), Zirtek, Cetrin (cetirizine), Kestin (ebastine) - in a dosage for children according to the instructions. If the child is under 3 years old, then it is better to give the medicine in the form of syrup or crush the tablet and give it in a tablespoon with water.

• Free the child from tight clothing

Clothing should not constrain the chest of the child, unbutton all the buttons on the collar of the shirt.

• Plentiful warm drink

It is worth giving the child any warm drinks. It is better to give natural freshly squeezed diluted juices than milk. A sick child always loses a lot of fluid, so it is important to drink it on time. Drinking plenty of water often thins phlegm and prevents dehydration (signs).

• The air in the room must be humid

It is important what kind of air is in the room where the child is. It should be fresh, moist and warm. Optimally, if the house has a humidifier, it makes it much easier to create tropical air, which is so necessary now for the baby. If it is not available, you can use wet diapers, battery-operated fabrics, and also place water containers in all rooms.

• Antipyretic

If a high temperature has risen, give the child an antipyretic in a dose appropriate for age.

• Warming procedures

If there is no high body temperature, then you can warm the calves of the legs with mustard plasters or warming creams, make a warm bath - this will increase the flow of blood to the legs and distract from the larynx, therefore, will not allow swelling to increase. Parents should be warned against using warming ointments on the chest and back of the child. Such ointments contain essential oils (for example, Doctor Mom), to which many children under 3 years old may have an allergic reaction and develop bronchospasm, bronchial obstruction.

• If the child is choking, do not use asthma aerosols on your own.

When the child is having difficulty breathing and the child is not asthmatic, do not use asthma cans on your own. Of course, the signs of false croup will decrease, but asthma drugs in aerosols contain potent substances, hormonal drugs, which only a doctor can prescribe and dose. If the child has a very noisy breath, there is a retraction of the jugular fossa, call an ambulance and continue steam inhalation. The doctor, if he considers it necessary, will replace such an inhalation with Pulmicort, Benacort.

• Expectorants or antitussives

Medicines and herbs to improve sputum discharge - Gedelix, Lazolvan, Ambrobene, vegetable syrup Dr. Mom, Gerbion for dry and wet cough, Mukaltin, Alteyka, etc. or antitussive drugs for dry cough, which can only be used as prescribed by a doctor. If a barking cough is provoked by acute laryngotracheitis, it is desirable that the dry cough quickly become wet, as a wet cough removes bacteria from the body. After a wet cough appears, expectorants are needed. Remember that with long-term use, expectorants themselves can provoke a cough, so their use should not be long. You can supplement the treatment with chest massage, rubbing the baby's chest and back.

• General care

Of course, parents should provide the child with proper care - wet cleaning as often as possible, provide a varied diet, with enough fruits and vegetables. Everything you need to maintain children's immunity.

Let's start with the main and obvious. Cough is not treated, the disease that led to the cough is treated. There is something that irritates the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and leads to the formation of phlegm. Eliminate this "something" - the cough will stop. How can we fix it? In case of a bacterial infection, we will prescribe an antibiotic, in case of allergies - an anti-allergic drug, in case of a viral infection, we will simply wait until the body copes with the virus itself.
What is so important and obvious in this? First of all, the statement of the fact that tothe cough will not go away until the cause of the cough is removed . That is, if you or your child is coughing because the room is very dry, then you will either cough until you buy a humidifier, or until spring comes and the central heating turns off.
Obviously, we can kill bacteria in bacterial infections, we can significantly reduce the body's reaction to an allergen in allergic diseases, but we are not able to do anything with viruses. Thus, with SARS, i.e. in 99% of all ARDs, we cannot eliminate the cause of the cough! We patiently wait until the body forms antiviral immunity, the virus stops its harmful effect on the mucous membranes and the cough goes away on its own.
At the same time, coughing pretty much interferes with the existence of a sick child and his relatives. Therefore, simply "patiently wait" does not work. Need to do something! And you really need to! After all, coughing with acute respiratory infections is not just a symptom that interferes with life, it is the main, key mechanism for active cleaning of the respiratory tract. Hence, in fact, it follows The main principle of the symptomatic treatment of cough is not to eliminate the cough, but to increase its effectiveness!
The most important feature of an effective cough is that it does not happen often. Sputum accumulated, coughed, cleared the airways. We got a break until a new portion of sputum required a new cough shock. “Coughed, cleared” is a model of an ideal situation. But it doesn’t always work out this way - it happens that in order to clear it, you need to cough twenty times ... What determines the answer to the question: “How many times do you need”? What factors determine the effectiveness of a cough?
Ability to cough- that is, the strength of the cough impulse and the ability to cough consciously. It is clear that the older the child, the stronger the respiratory muscles, the greater the volume of exhaled air, the stronger the cough push, the more effective the cough. The obvious “flaw” of babies is that you can’t ask them to clear their throats, still unconscious ...
Sputum quality. Liquid sputum - easy to cough up, effective cough; thick sputum - it is very difficult to cough up: we cough, cough, cough, but all to no avail ...
We cannot influence the ability to cough in any way. That's why the leading, strategic direction in the symptomatic treatment of cough is the impact on the quality of sputum, improving its rheological properties and thus increasing the effectiveness of coughing.
How does the effect on sputum rheology begin? From the main thing, which we have already talked about many times, which we have to talk about again and again, to which we will constantly return, - with the observance of the most important organizational principles for the treatment of acute respiratory infections, which turn into the main rules of symptomatic treatment of cough:
1.Cool humid air mode - prevention of drying of sputum and mucous membranes.
2. Plentiful drink - maintenance and restoration of sputum rheology by ensuring normal blood rheology.
It is possible to name and discuss drugs that affect cough only after the two main rules formulated by us have been implemented. Dry, warm, refuses to drink - nothing will help. Therefore, before running to the pharmacy for "cough medicines", you need to clearly prioritize, understand what is primary (air and liquid), and what is secondary (potions, drops, syrups, tablets, etc.).

So, the child is warmly dressed, drinks a lot, the room is cool and humid. This means that we have already implemented at least 90% of the measures aimed at the symptomatic treatment of cough. But 10% is still left! And I really want to help (treat) for real, give at least some pill!
Well, let's get going...
What can medicines do?
affect sputum rheology: make it more liquid, less viscous; this is possible in two ways: firstly, the effect on the sputum that has already formed (liquefaction, softening), and, secondly, the change in the properties of the sputum that continues to form - in the vast majority of cases, drugs optimize the work of epithelial cells, which, in fact, produce sputum. As a result, the amount of sputum increases, but this “correct” sputum is not thick, it is easy to cough it up;
reduce the intensity of the inflammatory process in the mucous membranes;
improve the functioning of the ciliated epithelium;
activate the contractile function of the bronchi;
reduce the excitability of the cough center in the brain;
reduce the sensitivity of nerve endings th, which are in the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract - irritation of these endings, in fact, causes a cough.
The possibilities of drugs make it easy to come to the conclusion that there are two course of action:
1. clear up a cough , reducing the excitability of the cough center and the sensitivity of nerve endings;
2.improve cough , improving, in turn, the rheology of sputum, the work of the ciliated epithelium, the contractility of the bronchi.
Two options for action correspond to two groups of drugs that are completely different in their mechanisms of action and the meaning of the application, but, unfortunately, are perceived at the household level as one and the same.
The first group - "COUGH MEDICINES", antitussives - the very drugs that cough clean up.
The second group - "EXPECTORANTS" - medicines, cough improving.
The very concept of “cough medicine” at first glance looks strange: so much has been said and discussed that coughing is the most important way to clear the respiratory tract, that not only a sick person, even a healthy one, can do without a cough! They themselves formulated the main principle of symptomatic treatment of cough: do not eliminate the cough, but increase its effectiveness! And how can you pronounce the phrase “cough medicine” after that?! And what must happen for these medicines to be used?
Indeed, given our knowledge of the causes of coughs, the use of "cough medicines" seems to be completely devoid of common sense. And this statement is absolutely true in the vast majority of cases!
But there are exceptions. That is, both theoretically and practically, situations are possible when a cough is not needed, not useful, has no physiological expediency, does not contribute to recovery, but only interferes. There are very few such situations, but they still exist, so you can ask a very specific question: when the cough needs to be removed, when you need cough medicine ?
the most obvious indication whooping cough. Cough in this disease is associated with the state of the nervous system, with irritation of the ciliated epithelium;
with inflammation of the outer shell of the lungs - the pleura. Pleurisy, which is not accompanied by the release of liquid, the so-called. dry pleurisy, accompanied by a very frequent reflex cough;
at irritating cough. An irritating cough is not a defined and specific concept; there is no consensus in the medical literature about what it is and under what conditions it occurs. The bottom line is that there is a certain factor that causes irritation of the nerve endings of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, while a cough appears, but sputum does not form. This happens, for example, if you smoke some filth, or inhale some filth, or treat the floors with a particularly irritating varnish, or if a normal healthy person spends the night in a room where it is dusty, hot and dry;
with some extremely dangerous lung diseases, as a rule, oncological;
in preparation for and during surgical or otolaryngological manipulations when it is necessary to do something in the airways with instruments.
As can be seen from the above list, absolutely all conditions that allow the use of antitussive drugs are in no way connected with parental self-medication. Even in situations related to acute respiratory infections - whooping cough, irritating cough - you can prescribe cough medicines only after making sure that the lungs are clean, that there is nothing to cough up.
The use of cough medicines in a situation where mucus is formed in the airways is extremely dangerous. These drugs, by reducing the force of the cough and making the cough more rare, contribute to the accumulation of sputum in the airways, greatly increasing the risk of complications. That is why I emphasize again: PThe use of antitussive drugs in self-treatment is strictly unacceptable!
All cough medicines are divided into two groups: narcotic and non-narcotic.
Narcotic drugs, which, however, obviously follows from the name, can be addictive and drug dependence. The most popular narcotic drug with a pronounced antitussive effect is codeine. In large doses that really turn off the cough, it is used only in hospitals and only for very serious illnesses. Well, in small doses, codeine and drugs close to it in structure, for example, dextromethorphan, are present in numerous combination cough preparations and even in those that are sold without a doctor's prescription.

After rereading list 19, the author even doubted: it turns out - look, drugs are sold, buy ... And then I thought and concluded for myself that, firstly, for normal people it just turns out the other way around - here drugs are sold, be careful, and secondly, drug addicts know better than all of us what and where is present ...
Non-narcotic antitussive drugs do not cause addiction and addiction, but they are fully subject to calls regarding caution and the inadmissibility of self-medication.
We have already said that there are two ways to remove a cough - by reducing the excitability of the cough center and by reducing the sensitivity of nerve endings in the respiratory tract.
Medicines that reduce the excitability of the cough center are called "non-narcotic antitussive drugs of central action." All drugs of this group, as well as narcotic antitussives, which also act on the cough center, can depress not only the cough, but also the respiratory center. That is why they (all these drugs) are extremely undesirable for children under two years old, and in general the danger of their use is closely related to the age of the child - the older the child, the less risk.

Drugs that desensitize nerve endings in the airways are called "peripherally acting non-narcotic antitussives". The drugs of this group, as it were, anesthetize and relax the overexcited nerve endings in the trachea and bronchi, they (these drugs) are much less active than centrally acting drugs, but, in turn, are much safer.

So, the conversation about who, when, how and with what should clear up the cough can be considered finished and summed up. main results:
in the vast majority of cases, cough medicines are contraindicated in any type of acute respiratory infections;
it is dangerous and irrational to use antitussives in children under two years of age;
use cough medicine in children older than two years is possible only if there are clear and specific indications, only as directed by a doctor and under constant medical supervision.
Last thing. The more sputum - the fact that it is quite obvious, the higher the risk from the use of antitussives. To improve cough, i.e. to use expectorants, in most cases is equivalent to the concept of "increase the amount of sputum."
The most important and obvious conclusion:
the combination of antitussives and expectorants is unacceptable !!!

Having finally dotted all i's in relation to cough medicines, we have the opportunity to focus on improving cough, i.e. on expectorants.
Let's start with a very characteristic and very revealing quote, taken from a very famous textbook on childhood diseases:
“EXPECTORANTS REDUCE THE VISCOSITY OF SPUTTOUM. THE EFFICIENCY AND BENEFITS IN COMPARED WITH HEAVY DRINKING IS NOT PROVEN…”
With this quote, we do not want to say at all that there is nothing to discuss here, they say, we will give water, we will not give medicines. This quote is just an excuse to repeat once again what was recently written: “... the child is warmly dressed, drinks a lot, the room is cool and humid. This means that we have already implemented at least 90% of the measures aimed at the symptomatic treatment of cough. But 10% is still left!”
So once again we pay attention: these 10% without plentiful drink and cool damp air will not be effective.
Now to the point. The range of expectorants available in the pharmacy network and actually used in childhood is frighteningly huge - several hundred drugs in a wide variety of dosage forms. Nevertheless, all this frightening variety can be classified in a certain way, in accordance with the mechanisms of the therapeutic effect of specific drugs.
Resorptive expectorants
Resorption - translated into Russian from the medical is absorption. Resorptive drugs are absorbed from the stomach, after which they are secreted by the bronchial mucosa, increasing the amount of mucus and thinning it. The drugs of this group have been widely used and used by doctors for at least a couple of hundred years, but now interest in them is rapidly fading. What are these medicines? Common sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), sodium and potassium iodide, ammonium chloride. The limited use at the present time is not due to the lack of effect, but to economic and psychological factors.
Iodine preparations are a popular component of numerous expectorant mixtures in the past, which were prepared directly in pharmacies. Today, the general trend is as follows: prescription departments are disappearing, pharmacy diversity is growing, patients want to buy right away and do not want to wait for the medicine to be prepared for them, again, fewer and fewer doctors are willing to memorize and write prescriptions.
Tablets, which include sodium bicarbonate and terpinhydrate (about it a little lower), cost a few kopecks. How can a mother, who wants to buy only the best for her child, buy medicine for a few kopecks, if there is something nearby, also for coughing, but in beautiful packaging and for a few rubles?
Reflex action expectorants
These drugs irritate sensitive nerve endings in the stomach. This leads to reflex activation of the cough and vomiting centers. The contractility of the bronchi increases, the cilia of the epithelium work more actively, sputum from the lower sections of the bronchi moves faster to the upper sections. At the same time, the work of the bronchial glands improves, more mucus is formed.
Expectorants of reflex action are the vast majority of drugs based on medicinal plants (thermopsis, licorice, marshmallow, plantain, thyme, coltsfoot, cumin, wild rosemary, etc.), as well as a number of simple chemical compounds (sodium benzoate, terpinhydrate).

The two groups of drugs described perfectly illustrate the main, strategic task of expectorants is to clear the respiratory tract from sputum . Coughing in this aspect is just a way of clearing.
Thus, reflex and irritant expectorants can contribute to the aforementioned cleansing in two ways.
Firstly, to stimulate expectoration, affecting the bronchi, cilia, glands - this effect even received a special name " secretomotor activity».
Secondly, liquefy sputum - " secretolytic activity».
At the same time, in addition to traditional expectorants, there are several drugs, the main advantage of which is precisely the secretolytic activity. These drugs are called mucolytics(mucus in Latin mucus).
Mucolytics - active modern drugs, chemical compounds that have nothing to do with medicinal herbs, alternative and traditional medicine.
Mucolytics have a special effect on the structural components of sputum, significantly changing its rheological properties - of course, for the better. There are very few drugs related to mucolytics, more precisely, only five.

Mucolytic drugs are often prescribed by pediatricians. Mucolytic drugs are popular means of parental self-medication. It is not surprising that the detailed information regarding their application can be both useful and interesting for most readers of this book.
Mucolytics are mainly used by mouth, but ambroxol and acetylcysteine ​​are used by inhalation and can even be administered intramuscularly and intravenously.
Mucolytics are active pharmacological agents with a large number of positive effects, but there are also side effects, in particular the effect on the gastrointestinal tract and quite likely allergic reactions.
Mucolytics have a number of advantages, in addition to the main mucolytic effect. Here it is difficult to talk about “merits in general” - each remedy has its own, sometimes specific, but it is these individual additional features that are the criterion by which the doctor determines which of these remedies to choose. So, acetylcysteine ​​can thin not only sputum, but also pus, it is very active when applied topically for otitis media, rhinitis, sinusitis; ambroxol and carbocysteine ​​significantly affect the circulation of antibiotics, increasing their concentration in the lung tissue and thus increasing the effectiveness of the treatment of bacterial infections of the respiratory tract; ambroxol stimulates the synthesis of surfactant - a special substance that ensures the elasticity of the lungs; guaifenesin, in addition to mucolytic, has an active secretory action, etc.
Indications for use, the choice of a specific drug, the duration of use, the dose - all this is very individual, determined by the diagnosis, the severity of the disease, the age of the patient, and most importantly - is determined by the doctor.
Mucolytics are indicated and appropriate precisely when there is thick, viscous sputum. With a wet cough, with mild forms of SARS with damage to the upper respiratory tract, mucolytics are not needed in most cases, moreover, their appointment can provoke an increase in cough.
Not a single mucolytic drug can show its therapeutic effect, i.e., it cannot improve sputum rheology in a situation where blood rheology is not improved.
The effectiveness of mucolytic agents is expressed briefly and slightly, if the factors that provoke the drying of mucus and mucous membranes are not eliminated, if the optimal parameters of temperature and air humidity are not provided.

Since the therapeutic activity of mucolytics is much superior to all other expectorants, pharmacologists very often consider this group of drugs separately, as if excluding them from the general list of expectorants. There is a certain sense here, therefore, recognizing the logic and validity of this state of affairs, one should pay attention to two points. Firstly, to note that there are a very large number of drugs that are combinations of expectorants and mucolytics, and secondly, to emphasize once again that it is If the combination of antitussives and expectorants is unacceptable, then the combination of antitussives and mucolytics is doubly unacceptable!

A brief review of drugs intended to relieve cough in acute respiratory infections can be considered exhausted. No, the list of drugs, to put it mildly, is not complete - after all, there are many drugs that eliminate bronchospasm, have an anti-inflammatory effect, reduce the sensitivity of the respiratory tract, etc. Nevertheless, we will not even name these drugs, since their use is not has a mass distribution in acute respiratory infections and never, at least theoretically, is not carried out in self-treatment.
Our task is to summarize, to formulate an algorithm for parental actions in a situation where a child has a cough.
The most important question is who is to blame? - i.e. the cause of the disease. The response algorithm is already well known to us, this is the key to further treatment of the disease that caused the cough.
The answer to the following question determines the intensity and direction of treatment: where is the source of the cough?
A typical and extremely common situation is - posterior rhinitis or adenoiditis . In the back of the nose, mucus forms, it flows down the back of the throat and this causes a cough. In such a situation, ordinary vasoconstrictor drops instilled into the nose will cause the cough to stop. And what will happen if you act in our way, that is, be an “attentive parent” and actively treat - give a herbal secretory drug plus add a mucolytic? Most lovers of active treatment answer the question "what will happen?" they know well - there will be a sleepless night with a painful cough ...
Nasopharyngitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis - inflammation in the upper respiratory tract. Mucus forms in the pharynx, on the surface of the tonsils, in the larynx. This mucus provokes a cough. But coughing up this mucus is easy, because it is actually already in the mouth, it does not need to move up from the bronchi, it does not need to be adjusted by the cilia of the epithelium and contractions of the bronchi. “Coughing up is easy” - this is not always the case, but to make it difficult, you have to try. It is necessary to make sure that the sputum dries to the surface of the mucous membranes, for this you should drink less and turn on the heater - you are guaranteed a sleepless night with an annoying "throat" cough.
And how to act correctly? First, understand that with inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, no oral expectorants can alleviate the situation. All that needs to be done is not to let the mucus thicken. To do this, moisten and ventilate the room, constantly drink something warm, dissolve tablets (lozenges, lozenges, etc.) containing herbal ingredients, essential oils, menthol in the oral cavity, drip oil drops into the nose so that the back wall does not dry out throats. You can still come up with a lot of completely safe things - so that the mucus does not dry out, and there is no harm: puff aerosols containing oils into your mouth, gargle with soda, etc.
But what if the child is very small - he doesn’t know how to suck lollipops, he doesn’t know how to rinse, he doesn’t know how to spit, aerosols with oils are contraindicated for him according to the instructions for these aerosols? - this is only 10% of the treatment, and 90% - air and drink, and if you add salt drops to the nose - this will completely replace rinsing.
Signs of croup (barking cough, shortness of breath), cough with shortness of breath and wheezing - all these are situations where self-treatment of cough is unacceptable: unreasonable and (or) incorrect use of antitussives and expectorants for croup and inflammation of the lower respiratory tract can lead to a significant deterioration in the condition child.
Do not take risks, because not giving medicine does not mean doing nothing at all! You will already have something to do, while waiting for the doctor - to moisten, ventilate, wipe, boil, drink, drip, change clothes, calm, shake, talk ...
RESULTS
Since cough is one of the most common symptoms, there are a huge number of medicines to treat it. Absolute most of these drugs are drugs with unproven efficacy, since the nature of the cough is much more determined by the conditions in which the sick child is located than by all medicines combined.
The main, strategic goal of symptomatic treatment of cough with drugs is the very fact of treatment. Medications do not so much relieve the child's cough as provide psychological comfort to his relatives. The mental balance of adults caring for a child is an extremely important factor, and hundreds of pharmaceutical companies are working to maintain this balance, producing thousands of a wide variety of "cough medicines" - most of them absolutely safe, highly purified, with a minimum of side effects, with a low risk of overdose, with excellent taste qualities, in the most attractive packaging and in a wide variety of forms - tablets, lozenges, drops, solutions, mixtures, syrups, elixirs.
Once again, I emphasize two particularly important points: all these drugs are quite safe, but all these drugs have unproven effectiveness.
The paradox of self-treatment of cough is that:
with acute respiratory infections with lesions of the lower respiratory tract, the treatment of cough with drugs is difficult and risky;
in acute respiratory infections with lesions of the upper respiratory tract, cough treatment with drugs is effective only as a way of psychotherapy for the one who treats.
Eliminating the cause of coughing and creating conditions that ensure the effectiveness of coughing are key points in helping. Effective pharmacological interventions are possible because there are active drugs that can affect the underlying physiological mechanisms of cough. The use of these drugs requires specific indications, professionalism and restraint. Therefore, it is very important to distribute roles in a timely manner: a doctor to look for and eliminate the cause of coughing, to determine those conditions when medicines cannot be dispensed with; parents - to create conditions under which it will be easy for the body to fight, and medicines will be able to show their therapeutic effects.
All this will serve as an ideological basis in order to realize the main principles of symptomatic therapy in general and cough in particular - safety, sufficiency, expediency.

Signs and symptoms: how to recognize a barking cough?

A loud barking sound occurs when coughing, which manifests airway lesions affecting the larynx and vocal cords. A cough that sounds like a dog's barking is more common before the age of 5 years. This is due to a narrower larynx and easier onset of edema. It is dry and quite painful for the child, and at night it can be combined with labored breathing.

In addition to coughing, the baby may experience:

• Elevated temperature.
• Pain and soreness in the throat.
• Hoarse voice or hoarseness.
• Whistling during inspiration.
• Weakness.
• Dyspnea.
• Pallor.
• Decreased appetite.
• Runny nose.
• Nausea.
• Enlarged lymph nodes.

A barking cough in a child has all the signs of a cold, accompanied by hoarseness or hoarseness.

The appearance of a cough, which is called barking, is usually associated with colds, viral and bacterial infectious diseases. Also, this type of cough is allergic in nature.

Among the diseases, a symptom of which is a barking cough, can be called:

• Laryngitis
• Pharyngitis
• Influenza and other viral infections of the respiratory tract
• Diphtheria
• Whooping cough
• Allergic damage to the respiratory tract
• Foreign body in the larynx
• Nerve damage, burns or neoplasms.

Barking cough with fever

A combination of these symptoms appears with viral and bacterial infections affecting the larynx and trachea. The temperature may rise strongly or remain subfebrile. At the same time, other signs of intoxication appear, for example, fatigue, reduced appetite, weakness, weight loss. A child with these symptoms needs medical attention and, with proper treatment, his condition will improve in a few days.

no temperature

The most common cause of a loud barking cough, in which body temperature does not change, is an allergy. At the same time, along with a cough, the child may experience tearing, runny nose, itching and redness of the skin.

Prolonged barking cough for 4-6 weeks without a change in body temperature is also characteristic of parapertussis. This bacterial infection attacks and irritates the lining of the respiratory tract, leading to unproductive coughing and swelling.

Prolonged barking cough without fever is a sign of allergy or parapertussis. What is dangerous?

Illnesses that are manifested by a strong loud cough called barking can cause complications such as:

• Development of false croup.
• The occurrence of respiratory failure.
• development of asthma.

For information on how to understand whether a child has laryngitis or croup, see Dr. Komarovsky's program.

What to treat?

In the treatment of a baby with a barking cough, use:

1. Steam inhalation. They help reduce swelling of the larynx, moisturizing and softening the mucosa. For such inhalations, you can use an ordinary pot containing boiling liquid (water with salt, herbal decoction, boiled potatoes), as well as use a steam inhaler. You can fill the bathroom with boiling water and periodically bring the child into it for a few minutes.
2. Nebulizer inhalations. For such procedures, a special apparatus is needed that converts the liquid into tiny particles that enter the respiratory tract. For babies with a barking cough, it is recommended to pour mineral water and saline into the nebulizer. For one procedure, 3-4 ml of liquid is used.
3. Medical treatment. It should be prescribed by a doctor, since some drugs can worsen the condition of the child, and self-administration may not take into account possible contraindications.
4. Distraction procedures. If the body temperature is not elevated, the child can be given a warm foot bath or rubbing the feet with warming agents.

Effective drugs

In the case of a barking cough, the doctor may prescribe the following drugs to the child:

• Antihistamines to reduce swelling and calm the baby, such as Claritin, Cetrin, Zyrtec or Suprastin.
• Antipyretics, if the cough is accompanied by fever, such as Paracetamol or Nurofen.
• Antitussives in case of severe, painful dry cough, for example, Codelac, Paxeladin, Sinekod or Libeksin.
• Expectorants, when viscous sputum began to separate when coughing, for example, Gerbion, Lazolvan, Gedelix, Dr. Theiss, Althea Syrup or Mukaltin.
• Antibiotics if the cause of the disease is a bacterial infection.

Exacerbations at night

At night, the cough in many children is exacerbated, because the lungs during sleep are ventilated and supplied with blood worse, and the sputum stagnates and becomes thicker. Such a cough makes the baby wake up and cough for a long time, while the baby’s breathing can become wheezing, which requires immediate medical attention.

Remember that a nocturnal coughing fit during which the child develops choking is a reason to call an ambulance for the child.

Treatment according to Komarovsky

When a barking cough appears, a well-known pediatrician advises to immediately consult a doctor, since such a symptom in the daytime can mean a high risk of attacks at night. Komarovsky does not welcome self-administration of any medications to the child. According to a popular pediatrician, parents, on their own initiative, should only humidify the air in the room and give the baby plenty of warm liquid to drink, since these measures are very simple and accessible to every mother, but at the same time they are quite effective in combating dry cough. Komarovsky advises giving any medicines only as prescribed by the pediatrician.

The nutrition of a child with a barking cough should be gentle on the throat, so do not give the baby either too cold foods or too hot dishes. Try to ensure that the child's body receives all the important nutrients and vitamins. Let the food be light and nutritious, and if the baby refuses to eat, you should not force him. More emphasis should be placed on a warm drink, giving the crumbs a lot of tea, herbal decoctions, fruit drinks, compote, milk.

Parents should definitely seek medical help if their child:

• The voice has changed.
• The body temperature has risen sharply.
• There was cyanosis of the skin.
• Increased salivation.
• There were difficulties with swallowing.
• Difficulties in breathing began.
• There was diarrhea.
• There was a faint.

For more information about barking cough, see the program "Live Healthy" about whooping cough.

For more information about barking cough with parawhooping cough, see the program "Live healthy."

A barking cough in a child can be the result of colds and infectious pathologies. Allergic reactions can also be triggers. To cope with the violation, you need to see a doctor. The specialist will determine the causes of the problem and select the appropriate treatment.

The occurrence of a cough in a baby is always an alarming symptom. Young children cannot cough up, which makes it difficult to remove sputum. Therefore, the appearance of this symptom should be the basis for contacting a pediatrician.

The main causes of dry barking cough include the following:

1. Laryngitis- is an inflammation of the larynx, which may be the result of an infectious lesion or the ingress of irritating elements into it. In young children, this condition may be the result of passive smoking. Laryngitis often affects the vocal cords. This condition is accompanied by hoarseness in the voice or its complete loss.
2. Pharyngitis- characterized by inflammation of the mucous membrane of the pharynx. This disease is characterized by sore throat, feeling of dryness, cough, enlargement of the submandibular lymph nodes. Most often, pharyngitis is the result of infection with viruses.
3. Whooping cough. This childhood infection usually causes inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. Often it is accompanied by a pronounced cough. After recovery, the body acquires stable immunity.
4. Allergy. Coughing may be the result of seasonal pollen exposure. You may also be allergic to dust, wool, feathers, fluff, chemical elements. In young children, it is easy to confuse allergies with viral infections.

Signs and complications of this disorder depend on the pathology that caused the cough. Warning signs include the following:

1. Fever. If the baby has a fever, chills, drowsiness or lethargy for a long time, it is necessary to call a doctor. This is a very dangerous condition that may indicate the development of meningitis.
2. Dyspnea. The appearance of shortness of breath, wheezing or wheezing sounds when breathing also requires the help of a doctor.
3. Fainting. Cough attacks, which are accompanied by fainting, also require a visit to the doctor.
4. Suffocation. Such attacks often accompany false croup. The cough gradually turns into an asthmatic attack, as a result of which the baby wakes up from lack of air. This is an extremely dangerous violation that can cause respiratory arrest.
5. Nausea and vomiting. Cough attacks that cause vomiting may indicate damage to the digestive organs. If there is frequent vomiting, there is a risk of losing an impressive amount of fluid. Also, this condition can provoke damage to the mucous membranes of the esophagus.

By itself, a barking cough is a rather dangerous condition, since it can provoke swelling of the larynx and lead to blockage of the airways. This will cause death.

For treatment and prevention runny nose, sore throats, SARS and influenza in children, and adults Elena Malysheva recommends an effective drug Immunity from Russian scientists. Due to its unique, and most importantly 100% natural composition, the drug is extremely effective in the treatment of tonsillitis, colds and strengthening immunity.

Diagnostics

To establish the causes of this symptom, it is necessary to conduct a full examination. To do this, perform palpation of the neck and lymph nodes. It is also necessary to measure the temperature of the child. First, parents should show the baby to an otolaryngologist. If necessary, the doctor refers the patient to other specialists - a pulmonologist, an allergist, a nutritionist, etc.

To make an accurate diagnosis, a blood test may be taken from the child. Urine and stool tests may also be required. Often there is a need for instrumental diagnostics. It includes X-ray of the sternum, scintigraphy, computed tomography, assessment of respiratory functions.

If the baby has an intense attack of barking cough and symptoms of suffocation appear, you should immediately call an ambulance. In order not to waste time, you can give the child first aid. It consists in doing the following:

1. Calm down the child. A coughing fit can cause him to feel fear and panic. As a result, there is a spasm of the larynx, which entails an even greater shortage of air.
2. Give the baby peace. The patient should move as little as possible.
3. Apply vasoconstrictor drops. These products clear the nose, which helps to make breathing easier.
4. Reduce high temperature. If this is not done, the mucus in the larynx will dry out greatly.
5. Ventilate the room. This will greatly facilitate the breathing of the child. During an attack, it is very important to ensure the flow of moist and cool air.
6. Make an inhalation. If the nebulizer is not available, it is worth taking the child to the bathroom and turning on the hot water.
7. Give your baby plenty to drink. This will help make breathing easier and make the secret more fluid.
8. Avoid the use of expectorants. Their effect is aimed at removing sputum. The narrowing of the larynx prevents the airways from being cleared of mucus.

Treatment Methods

This condition is a consequence of the ingestion of certain agents that cause irritation of the mucous membranes and the accumulation of a large amount of secretion. If you eliminate the irritant or causative agent of the disease, the cough will go away on its own.

With a barking cough, the following categories of drugs can be used:

1. Antibiotics. Such funds are indicated for the bacterial nature of the disease. Diagnostic studies should be carried out before use. Most often, babies are prescribed gentle remedies in the form of syrups - sumamed or ecomed. In addition to antibiotic therapy, probiotics are prescribed, which provide support for the microflora.
2. Antiviral drugs. Such funds do not affect the cough, but they allow you to cope with the infection. They are most effective in the early stages. These drugs include kagocel, anaferon, ergoferon.
3. Mucolytics. Such funds provide liquefaction of the secret and its removal from the bronchi. This category includes ambrobene, ACC, ambroxol.
4. Antitussives. Such drugs help to cope with a dry painful cough. However, they should be administered with extreme caution. If a large amount of sputum accumulates in the lungs, these drugs should not be used. This group includes codeine, paxeladine.

Treatment according to Komarovsky can be carried out by different methods. Of no small importance is the clinical picture of the disease, whether it proceeds with or without temperature.

Dr. Komarovsky on the treatment of cough in children - video

If the cough is due to a bacterial infection, an antibiotic may be used. For allergies, antiallergic drugs are indicated. If a virus has become a provoking factor, you must follow these recommendations:

1. It is important to provide the child with a state of rest. Do not worry him, because the cough will only increase.
2. Maintain the required air parameters. It must be fresh and moist. This will help ease breathing and improve secretion. It is important to frequently ventilate the room and do wet cleaning.
3. Give your baby plenty of fluids. Tea, juice, warm water are perfect for this purpose. You can also use decoctions of linden, wild rose, chamomile. The more liquid the child consumes, the faster the sputum is excreted.
4. When the temperature rises, the child can be undressed. This will help bring down the scores. Also, this recommendation will make breathing easier, because clothes can squeeze the chest.
5. Do not lower the temperature below 38.5 degrees. If the indicators exceed this mark, you need to use antipyretic drugs. It is important to remember the sense of proportion, because such substances negatively affect the state of the liver.
6. It is forbidden to use ointments that include essential oils for rubbing the chest and back. These components provoke severe allergic reactions.
7. Systematically do inhalations with mineral water. These procedures ensure the removal of mucus from the body.
8. Massage the chest and back, performing gentle stroking movements. This will help make breathing easier.

A barking cough that is accompanied by an increase in temperature can be a dangerous manifestation, the treatment of which should be started as soon as possible. This will help to avoid exacerbation of the disease.

It is forbidden to use medicines on your own. Only a doctor should prescribe drugs to a child.

Inflammation that provokes the appearance of a barking cough can cause dangerous consequences. This kind of cough is a real danger to the life of the child. Inflammation and swelling of the larynx leads to blockage of the airways. As a result, death occurs as a result of suffocation.

There are also other dangerous complications. These include:

• the appearance of asthmatic pathologies;
• development of respiratory failure;
• occlusion.

A barking cough is a common symptom that may indicate the development of dangerous pathologies. This condition is especially dangerous for children. To cope with this violation, it is very important to establish the causes of its occurrence and choose the best methods of therapy.

And some secrets...

If you or your child get sick frequently and are treated with antibiotics alone, know that you are only treating the effect, not the cause.

So you just “drain” money to pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies and get sick more often.

STOP! stop feeding who you don't know!!! You just need to boost your immunity and you will forget what it is to get sick!

There is a way for this! Confirmed by E. Malysheva, A. Myasnikov and our readers! …

Dry, barking cough in a child is a dangerous symptom that develops against the background of infectious, viral diseases or allergic reactions. Coughing attacks exhaust the child, often occur at night, accompanied by whistling and wheezing, difficulty breathing. The inflammatory process can lead to swelling of the larynx, which threatens with suffocation. This condition requires urgent medical attention. But is it possible to make a diagnosis based on one symptom, and are the methods of treatment that parents resort to always correct?

As you know, the cough is dry (without sputum) and wet (accompanied by sputum and wheezing when breathing). That cough, which is commonly called barking, is most often dry, which makes it difficult to fight it. Another feature of such a cough is exhausting, prolonged attacks that occur unexpectedly and most often at night.

The main causes of a strong barking cough in a child are inflammation of the larynx, trachea and bronchi, which disrupt the physiological act of breathing and are accompanied by spasm of the respiratory muscles and increasing hypoxia. Among them:

• pharyngitis, laryngitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the pharynx and larynx);
• false croup (acute stenosing laryngotracheitis);
• colds and viral infections (influenza, SARS, acute respiratory infections, parainfluenza);
• allergic reactions;
• diphtheria, whooping cough.

A barking cough can be an early symptom of asthma. In young children, this type of cough can cause a foreign body to enter the airways.

Diphtheria and whooping cough are now rare, as children are vaccinated against these diseases in the first year of life. In other cases, parents should pay close attention to provoking factors that can cause characteristic symptoms.

Often, in children prone to allergies, bouts of dry, exhausting cough appear on plant pollen, pet hair, household chemicals and other allergens. If such symptoms develop against the background of diseases, one should not hesitate, because against the background of inflammation and edema, the lumen of the larynx narrows and the child may suffocate.

Parents should definitely pay attention to the main symptoms of a dry barking cough in a child without fever:

• the skin becomes pale, with a bluish tint;
• when inhaling, the supraclavicular fossae and the jugular cavity are drawn in;
• each breath is accompanied by wheezing;
• there is hoarseness and periodic loss of voice;
• there are sudden attacks of nocturnal coughing, in which the child wakes up.

You should immediately call an ambulance if the severity and frequency of attacks increase, dry cough is accompanied by shortness of breath, the child suffocates, and severe weakness occurs.

Attacks of dry, barking cough most often begin suddenly, at night. This is a dangerous condition, as a rapidly developing swelling in the larynx can completely block the air supply and lead to suffocation. No less dangerous are the consequences of such attacks, since in the future the baby may develop respiratory failure or chronic asthma.

Due to the immaturity of the immune system, colds in babies are often complicated by infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract. This happens especially often in infants. It should also be noted that with severe nasal congestion, its contents can flow into the cavity of the pharynx and larynx, causing irritation and a cough similar to laryngitis.

The main symptom of laryngitis in infants is a barking cough in a child with a temperature above 38 °. At an older age, one can notice hoarseness of voice up to complete aphonia. In schoolchildren and adolescents, laryngitis can occur without fever or with a slight increase in it, but always with a cough.

Treatment of laryngitis necessarily includes the fight against the underlying disease. In addition, it is necessary to create conditions in which an attack of coughing is least provoked. The child's room should be warm, but not hot, you need to maintain high humidity (you can put containers with water). Going outside if a child has a barking cough should be as rare as possible, but his room should be aired frequently.

Conservative treatment of laryngitis in children is to take anti-inflammatory drugs and drugs that suppress coughing attacks. In severe cases of the disease, the pediatrician may prescribe medications with a bronchodilatory effect. If laryngitis is accompanied by bronchitis, mucolytic and expectorant treatment is prescribed.

Good to know

Important! Antitussives should not be given simultaneously with expectorants, otherwise stagnation of sputum in the bronchi and purulent complications can be provoked. First, the child is given cough syrups to soften the non-productive cough and make it wetter. Only after this can mucolytic and expectorant agents be used, the action of which is aimed at thinning thick sputum and removing it from the respiratory tract.

Cough with allergies

Allergic conditions are characterized by a barking cough in a child without fever. Cough occurs upon contact with an allergen, but the provoking factor cannot always be easily identified and eliminated. Parents need to bring the child to an appointment with an allergist and do skin tests to determine the allergen and choose a treatment regimen.

In case of allergic reactions, in addition to dry cough, other symptoms may occur - skin rash and hyperemia of the skin, swelling of the nasal mucosa, increased tearing. Sometimes parents can independently establish a connection between the manifestations of the disease and the allergen and inform the specialist about this.

Treatment of allergic cough begins with the identification and exclusion of the provoking factor. If this is not possible or the cause of the allergy is unknown, avoid contact of the child with potential allergens in everyday life as much as possible. It is necessary to buy clothes and bedding made of natural fabrics for the baby, preferably white, in order to exclude the presence of dyes (this is especially true for clothes and linen that are in direct contact with the body).

In the room, you should do wet cleaning daily, ventilate the room more often, exclude the baby’s contact with pets and plants, and use only hypoallergenic household chemicals. It is necessary to review the diet and not give the child products with a high degree of allergenicity (citrus fruits, chocolate, strawberries, products that contain artificial flavors and dyes). Over time, this diet can be expanded and supplemented, but be sure to focus on the condition of the baby.

Antiallergic drugs for children are selected and prescribed only by a specialist. These are antihistamines (Claritin, Suprastin, Zirtek, Zodak, etc.), which are given to the child in the recommended dose. For children from the age of three, antihistamines are prescribed in the form of a syrup. It should be borne in mind that most of them cannot be taken if the child is under 2 years old, so providing a hypoallergenic life is the safest way to deal with the disease.

Some types of bronchial asthma can debut at a very early age, sometimes the first manifestations of the disease are observed in babies up to a year old. It is quite difficult to determine them in a child, parents often do not know the early signs of the disease, so they come to the doctor's appointment late when the symptoms of the disease become obvious, and the disease flows into a chronic form.

One of the characteristic early signs of bronchial asthma is a barking cough in a child at night. The attack begins for no apparent reason, while during the day the baby may feel good. Body temperature remains within normal limits or slightly increases. Allergic symptoms do not occur.

The danger of the early stage of bronchial asthma in young children is that there is no most alarming symptom for parents - respiratory failure. This symptom appears much later, six months to a year after the onset of the disease. Prior to this, the disease is manifested only by a dry barking cough in a child, most often at night.

How to treat bronchial asthma, the doctor decides. The treatment regimen depends on the age of the child, the duration of the course of the disease, the frequency of nocturnal coughing attacks, the presence of asthma attacks, and the risk of disease progression. If parents consult a doctor at an early stage, the likelihood of maintaining the health of the child increases significantly.

Laryngospasm is a complication of pathological processes in the larynx. A long bout of coughing in any disease can lead to it, but most often laryngospasm occurs against the background of laryngitis. Spasm of the larynx is a dangerous condition that can lead to suffocation and death. How to recognize this condition and what should parents do in such a case?

Manifestations of laryngospasm in children are a sharp change in breathing (it becomes frequent and superficial), the connection of auxiliary muscles (intercostal muscles, wings of the nose, neck muscles), tilting the head, whistling during breathing, cold sweat. Severe attacks are accompanied by convulsions, urinary and fecal incontinence, foam from the mouth, loss of consciousness. The attack can go away on its own, after which the child falls asleep.

First aid during an attack is to provide fresh air access to the room - open the window, if the baby is wearing clothes that restrict breathing - unfasten it, put a napkin dipped in water on your face, you can give a sniff of cotton wool with ammonia. If the baby is able to drink, you need to give him warm boiled water. The main thing for parents is to remain calm and not panic. If the child is large enough to understand words, try to calm the baby, as children get very frightened when they cannot breathe freely.

In a serious condition, you can use stimuli that stimulate pain receptors - patting on the cheeks, pinching. In any case, if such symptoms occur, it is imperative to call an ambulance. Even if the attack has passed on its own, the baby must be shown to the doctor in order to avoid a repetition of a dangerous situation.

Many parents watch a popular television health program in which a doctor tells how parents should act in a given situation and how to treat childhood illnesses in simple and affordable ways. What does Dr. Komarovsky say about the treatment of barking cough in children?

The specialist believes that in order to alleviate the condition with a dry, barking cough, an important point is the observance of the voice mode. The child should talk as little as possible, if necessary, manage with short phrases said in a whisper. It is absolutely impossible to speak in full voice, and even more so to scream or sing - this creates a large load on the ligaments and worsens the condition of the child.

The baby needs to be given more liquid - warm tea with honey or jam, fruit drinks, juices, cook compotes from fresh berries and fruits. From food, preference is given to easily digestible products of a semi-liquid consistency (cereals, pureed soups, dairy products), which do not irritate the inflamed mucosa and do not provoke new coughing fits.

The child should not be given carbonated drinks, bread, cookies, crackers and other foods that may crumble. In children under 1 year old, the diet is changed so that the baby eats more often, but in small portions.

A barking cough in a child aged 3 years and older most often does not pose a danger to life and health. Dr. Komarovsky says that the child needs to be provided with conditions in which coughing fits are not provoked (warm, moist air, voice mode, calm state, drinking plenty of water). During treatment, it is imperative to follow the doctor's recommendations regarding the underlying disease, take prescribed medications, and exclude contact with other children if the cause of this condition is an infectious disease.

At the age of up to a year, diseases of the larynx and trachea progress rapidly, lead to serious complications, therefore, with a barking cough, you should immediately consult a doctor. You should also be wary if a dry cough occurs at night with good health during the day. As an addition to the main treatment, the doctor may recommend warming procedures or inhalations.

If the child does not have a temperature, then it is possible to alleviate the condition during coughing fits with the help of simple procedures. For example, make a light massage of the legs with warming creams, a warm foot bath, apply mustard plasters to the calves.

This will help increase blood flow to the legs and reduce swelling in the larynx. At the same time, parents are not recommended to use warming agents in the back and chest area, especially those ointments that contain essential oils. These components can provoke an allergic reaction and the development of bronchospasm.

Steam inhalation for laryngitis and bronchitis helps to relieve swelling of the larynx. For the procedure, you will need a pot of boiling water, in which you can add decoctions of medicinal herbs (sage, chamomile), soda and vegetable oil. After the water boils, the pot is removed from the heat and the child is seated next to him so that he can breathe in the damp fumes. Do not lean over the container and cover the child's head with a towel to avoid burns.

If the child is very small, hot water can be put into the bath and after the room has warmed up, bring the baby there for 10-15 minutes so that he breathes warm, humid air. This will help soothe the cough and reduce throat irritation.

With pharyngitis, accompanied by a barking cough, you can use a special inhaler and do procedures with mineral water. If the baby does not have a tendency to allergies, you can add a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil to the water, which will provide a good antiseptic effect.

To alleviate the condition, the child can be given warm milk with soda, radish juice with honey, decoctions of medicinal herbs (coltsfoot, plantain, oregano, licorice, wild rosemary, anise, thyme).

Coughing attacks that occur in a child and are not accompanied by fever incredibly complicate the life of the baby and his parents. In cases where such manifestations are observed without a pronounced disease, the cough is called barking. Another name for it is dry. There are many methods of treating barking cough. But before taking any action, it is important to understand its causes. Dr. Komarovsky also paid a lot of attention to this.

In his program, Komarovsky gave a lot of advice not only on the treatment of a barking cough in a child, but also on the diagnosis of its causes. And it should immediately be noted that Komarovsky calls a barking cough in a child only a symptom of some kind of problem. Therefore, trying to get rid of this symptom itself is not enough. Without eliminating the cause that led to it, it will not work to improve the health of the child. And there could be many reasons for this.

Parents usually immediately start taking the temperature when they notice a barking cough. But far from always it is found, which often leads to a stupor. A more careful and versatile diagnosis is needed to understand what causes a barking cough. And Komarovsky gives ways to carry it out. Without determining for what reasons the child developed a barking cough, no action can simply be taken.

Even in a child at a very young age, coughing does not appear “just like that”. Something is sure to evoke it. Therefore, before treating barking cough in children, Komarovsky suggests conducting a diagnosis. Its main actions are as follows.

1. It is best to show the child to the pediatrician if he has a barking cough. But parents do not always immediately decide to take their child to a specialist. However, this is completely wrong, because even in the absence of temperature, such manifestations can indicate serious problems.
2. Take the temperature and inspect the throat. If there is a temperature, and the throat is clearly affected by inflammation, the development of SARS can be assumed. This is a common cause of barking cough, as Komarovsky points out. But in addition to fever and an irritated throat, there may be other signs, such as pain when swallowing.
3. A diagnostic criterion by which it is possible to determine the causes of a barking cough is the nature of the secreted mucus. Komarovsky always advises to pay priority attention to her. With the release of clear mucus against the background of the absence of temperature, we can say that a barking cough is not the result of an infection at all. Most likely, completely different factors lead to its occurrence, which must be eliminated as quickly as possible.

As for the last point, Komarovsky considers a barking cough in a child without fever to be a fairly frequent consequence of the influence of various external factors. For example, a child begins to cough due to exposure to an allergen or problems with the esophagus. From this it follows that taking ordinary antibiotics will not help. Due to the fact that factors of a very different nature can lead to a barking cough, Komarovsky advises not to delay contacting a specialist. And, moreover, one should not independently treat a child without knowing the exact nature of the mechanism that caused the cough.

As mentioned earlier, to get rid of a dry cough, it is important to know exactly the reason that caused it. The absence of temperature, by the way, does not always mean that the child's body is not susceptible to any infection. But all the same, for the most part, Komarovsky, with a barking cough in a child without fever, recommends certain actions that in many cases allow him to be eliminated. The main ways to get rid of a barking cough are as follows.

1. Allergen elimination. If the barking cough is caused by an allergen, then there is usually no fever. Therefore, as Komarovsky says, it is often enough to simply get rid of the allergen itself. You can give an antihistamine tablet recommended to the child.
2. Increasing the volume of water in the body. With barking quality, the mucous membrane may be irritated. This should not be allowed, so it is necessary to provide the child with plenty of fluids. You also need to maintain high humidity in the room.
3. Even in the absence of temperature, a barking cough is a bad sign indicating that the child's body is weakened. Therefore, he needs to provide proper nutrition, give vitamins and monitor hygiene.

It should be remembered that a barking cough can also occur against the background of quite serious pathologies that parents are definitely not able to cope with. Therefore, Komarovsky strongly advises with such manifestations to visit a doctor with the child as soon as possible. This is much better than self-medication.