Why does a child cough for a long time Komarovsky. Timely diagnosis is the key to success. Dry cough in a child than to treat Komarovsky

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 are 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 does the cough need 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.
Drugs 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, that is, to use expectorants, is in most cases equivalent to the concept of "increasing 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 center. 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 administration 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. First, note that there is a very a large number of drugs, which are combinations of expectorants and mucolytics, secondly, to emphasize once again that e 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 anti-inflammatory effects, 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 active drugs are available 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.

It is unlikely that today there will be at least one mother who has not heard of Dr. Evgeny Komarovsky. His methods of treatment and prevention of diseases in children of different ages are the most popular in the arsenal of thousands of parents.

"School of Dr. Komarovsky" is a media project that was born in 2010, and quickly won ratings from viewers not only in Ukraine and Russia, but also far abroad. In a broad sense, the “Komarovsky school” is a methodology, the observance of the principles of which makes it possible to raise a healthy child without the use of drugs where you can do without them.

Doctor Komarovsky first appeared on TV screens back in 1992. At that time there was an outbreak of diphtheria, and the pediatrician was invited to explain in detail to the townsfolk what the danger of such a disease was. Since then, the doctor has been repeatedly invited as an expert to various programs, which, as a result, has grown into the idea of ​​​​creating the author's project "Schools".

Why did Evgeny Olegovich make such a decision? According to him, parents and grandparents trust the uncle on TV more than the average pediatrician, even if he has a degree. One way or another, but since the advent of the “School of Dr. Komarovsky”, many fathers and mothers have really begun to approach the system of treatment and hardening of their children more carefully. A popular pediatrician in an accessible form teaches parents to use common sense in different situations. Including in the treatment of cough.

Coughing in a child is always a cause of concern for parents. Komarovsky focuses on the fact that this is just a symptom of a respiratory disease. If it proceeds with a temperature, then it is not of an allergic, but of an infectious nature (which, however, does not exclude the opposite: hyperthermia is not always observed during an infection).

Cough is the body's response to a viral or bacterial irritant. When pathogenic microbes enter the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, the body tries to cleanse them by producing more mucus. This mucus must be removed. This is how coughing occurs. The main task of parents is not to let the mucus dry out, and not to stop the cough reflex. Humid air and plenty of fluids cope with the first task, and the absence of cough-suppressing medicines in the arsenal of the second.

When coughing with fever, parents are afraid of the unknown: what is its cause? Cough with fever in 90% of cases is of a viral nature. Only a doctor can make a diagnosis. Excess mucus is produced when:

• rhinitis;
• sinusitis;
• adenoids;
• pharyngitis;
• laryngitis;
• tracheitis;
• bronchitis;
• pneumonia.

Almost any acute respiratory disease is accompanied by a cough reflex. The cough may be dry (unproductive) or wet (productive). Treatment in each case is different and is aimed at reducing the viscosity of sputum. Medications are prescribed by a specialist, and parents must take measures to create favorable conditions under which the body will fight the infection: moist, cool air and plenty of fluids.

Self-medication for coughing with fever is unacceptable. The doctor must determine which parts of the respiratory system are affected. The upper respiratory tract is not treated with expectorants, and bronchitis and pneumonia require specific treatment, depending on the pathogen and the severity of the process.

A cough in a child without fever can be allergic or infectious. The problem is not the cough itself, but what causes it. It will pass when the cause of its appearance disappears:

• ARI - they are not always accompanied by fever;
• chronic pathologies of the respiratory tract - for example, with an adenoid, mucus constantly flows down the back wall of the larynx and causes a cough reflex;
• allergy is one of the most common causes, in which there is both a slight cough and obstruction;
• gastrointestinal diseases - the contents of the stomach are thrown into the esophagus and enter the respiratory tract, causing irritation and coughing;
• whooping cough is a serious childhood infection that is dangerous for babies.

Sometimes the cause of a cough without fever is the unfavorable microclimate in the room. For example, if the air in the room is too dry or dusty.

Parents make a huge mistake when, with any coughing, they decide to “stuff” the child with antitussive or expectorant drugs on their own. Komarovsky says that it would not occur to any sane parent abroad to buy an arsenal of pharmacy products without first consulting a doctor. Treatment of the upper and lower respiratory tract is carried out by different means and methods.

The main mistakes that parents make when children cough:

• independently give antitussives - drugs that depress the cough center are permissible only with whooping cough and under the supervision of a specialist;
• they independently prescribe expectorants - the harm from such self-treatment is less than from antitussives, but has its own nuances. For example, giving an expectorant to a child with a dry non-productive cough will only make the attacks worse;
• they give the child at the same time antitussives and mucoltics with expectorants - this is extremely dangerous, since these drugs have a mutually exclusive effect: some provoke an abundant secretion of mucus, while others block its excretion;
• they close all the windows in the apartment and dress the child warmer - thus creating conditions for even greater viscosity of the mucus;
• they put the baby in bed and put mustard plasters - this provokes a deterioration in the excretion of sputum.

Komarovsky draws the attention of parents: with any cough, there is time to see a doctor. And only after his recommendations can you start treatment.

In the arsenal of a home first-aid kit, there may be relatively harmless sputum thinners (mucaltin, anise drops, ambroxol), but it is advisable to use them after consulting a specialist. The main task of the parents is to give the child a drink, moisten and ventilate the room. In the absence of temperature, walking with a cough is possible and necessary. Fresh air plays one of the main roles in treatment. And diseases in which you can’t walk are much less than in which you need to walk.

The main advice of Dr. Komarovsky: for any illness, it is important to give water to the child. The viscosity of blood and mucus depends on the amount drunk. The less moisture, the thicker the sputum. Normally, if a child drinks a normal amount of liquid, he pees on average once every three hours. A smaller number indicates an insufficient drinking regimen. This raises the question: what can you give a child to drink? Tea, compote, water or any drink that the baby agrees to drink will do. In this case, the principle applies: it is better to drink at least something than not to drink at all.

The second main advice of Komarovsky: a favorable microclimate in the room. The child must breathe fresh, clean, cool air. Do not forget about moisturizing the mucous membranes with normal saline.

Third advice: do not self-medicate. Any medications are prescribed only after diagnosis by a specialist.

Why is it so important to drink a child? First of all, because with any respiratory viral infection, a person loses a huge amount of fluid. Firstly, because of the high temperature, and secondly, because of shortness of breath, the child sweats, he constantly humidifies the inhaled air, besides this, a stuffy nose is very often, you have to breathe through your mouth, this additionally leads to drying of the mucous membranes.

Scientists have proven a long time ago that the viscosity of mucus and the viscosity of blood is directly related. And if the blood is thick - and the mucus is thick, if the blood is liquid - and the mucus is liquid. If the child does not drink and the blood thickens, then the mucus immediately thickens everywhere, and snot in the nose and sputum in the lungs. And when thick sputum accumulates in the lungs, this is the main cause of complications in the bronchi. Thick sputum has accumulated in the bronchi - here you have bronchitis or pneumonia. How to prevent this? How to prevent blood clotting?

One of the main rules is to reduce fluid loss by making the air cool and moist. But the second rule that must be followed is to give the child a drink. And here we have the main questions.
What to drink? How much to drink? How to drink if you do not want to drink? Let's talk about all this one by one.

How much liquid should a sick child drink per day?

In fact, the amount of liquid a child needs to drink depends on such factors - first of all, how high is the temperature, how often does he breathe, what is the temperature and humidity of the room? The more actively the child loses fluid, the more fluid he needs to drink, so it is impossible to determine exactly how much you need. But there is a main rule - we must prevent blood clotting.

There are some very handy signs you can use to navigate. The most elementary symptom is that the child must write at least once every 3 hours. If he pees every 3 hours, then you have enough to drink. If he rarely pees, if he has a dry tongue, then this is a reason to drink, drink and drink.

What is better to drink? Hot water or room temperature?

You should know that the liquid will begin to be absorbed from the stomach into the blood when the temperature of the liquid is equal to the temperature of the blood, so if the child drinks room temperature liquid, it will begin to be absorbed when it warms up to body temperature. Hence the elementary rule - that the liquid used for drinking should be the same as the body temperature. Of course, it is not necessary to measure with an accuracy of 36.6, plus or minus 3-4 degrees is not important, but it is optimal that the temperature of such a liquid be 32-39 degrees, this is ideal and this means the liquid will be absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract as quickly as possible. This is especially true when the child has attempts to vomit, nausea.

Those we need to reduce the time the liquid stays in the stomach. Remember, the temperature of the liquid used for drinking must be equal to body temperature, this is very important.

Cough - what is it?

Children's cough

• lysozyme
• immunoglobulin

allergic cough

• viral infections
• bacterial infections
• allergens

Treatment Methods

Mucolytics

• Mukaltin
• Ammonia anise drops
• Bromhexine
• Ambroxol

Regular airing

It must be remembered that in the presence of a runny nose, sore throat and fever, treatment with mucolytic and antitussive drugs will be meaningless.

How to alleviate the condition

• glass of warm milk with honey
• half a glass of milk with soda
• tea with raspberry jam

banana puree

To alleviate the condition, you can do a light chest massage. Movements should be in the form of patting and tapping, which contribute to a better discharge of sputum. Do rubbing with warming ointments, apply compresses to the chest and back. Older children can be inhaled with saline or mineral water. All sorts of cough drops will also alleviate the condition.

Prevention

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Feb 18, 2017Violetta Lekar

A cough in a child worries not only the baby, but also his parents, who seek to help their son or daughter in every way. Some begin to use folk recipes on the advice of relatives, others go to the pharmacy for syrup, and someone makes inhalations. Let's figure out whose actions are correct in the opinion of a specialist, and how the popular pediatrician Komarovsky advises to treat a cough.

Be sure to check with your pediatrician before giving your child any medication. Symptomatic treatment

First of all, when a child of any age coughs, Komarovsky focuses the attention of parents on the fact that it's just a symptom of some disease affecting the respiratory tract. In addition, this symptom is protective, so in most cases it is not worth suppressing.

The main cause of cough in childhood, a popular doctor calls SARS. And therefore, in the vast majority of cases of coughing in a child, the elimination of its cause, according to Komarovsky, is impossible. But it is not necessary to leave the child without help, therefore, a well-known pediatrician advises symptomatic treatment.

Wherein he calls the main principle of such cough treatment not eliminating the symptom itself, but increasing the effectiveness of coughing. This can be achieved by influencing the quantity and quality of sputum with the help of:

1. Humid and cool air.
2. Plentiful drink.

See more about this in the program of Dr. Komarovsky.

Humidify and purify the air

Komarovsky calls providing a child with moist and cool air one of the most important tasks of parents. it reduce the load on the respiratory tract of the baby, and also prevent the mucous membranes from drying out.

If you optimize the conditions in which the child is located, his body will not spend efforts on air processing (heating, cleaning and humidifying it), but will focus on developing antiviral immunity.

In addition to temperature and humidity, a popular doctor draws attention to the need for clean air in the room where the coughing child is. Komarovsky notes that children's need for clean air when coughing increases several times. This is primarily due to nasal congestion in acute respiratory infections and reduced activity of the epithelium in the respiratory tract. When dust enters the respiratory tract, it leads to impaired ventilation and additional sputum production.

Komarovsky advises:

• Reduce the number of possible dust collectors in the room, for example, hide books behind glass, put toys in boxes, take out carpets.
• Avoid contact of the child with foreign odors and substances, for example, do not use deodorants and perfumes indoors, do not wash the floor with chlorine, do not spray insects.
• Avoid exposure to tobacco smoke.
• Carry out frequent wet cleaning. A well-known pediatrician does not advise vacuuming in a room with a sick child, and if the vacuum cleaner is used for cleaning, the child should be sent to another room while cleaning the room.
• Maintain the room temperature at +18 degrees.
• Maintain indoor humidity at 60-70%. The best choice would be to use a humidifier, but if there is no such device in the family, Komarovsky recommends using water containers and wet sheets.

It is especially important to maintain optimal temperatures and humidity at night. This will prevent night coughing caused by overdrying of the mucous membranes and staying in a lying position, as well as coughing after sleep.

Humidifiers will help maintain the optimal level of humidity in the children's room. Give the child more to drink

According to Komarovsky, drinking plenty of water for a child with a cough is indispensable. It will maintain and restore the properties of sputum by affecting blood rheology, that is, drinking will first make the blood more liquid, which will increase blood circulation in the mucous membranes of the respiratory system and improve their ability to form normal mucus. In addition, the body of the child spends a lot of fluid with increased temperature and rapid breathing, which also necessitates frequent drinking.

In order for the drunk liquid to be absorbed faster, Komarovsky advises to give any drink heated to about body temperature.. In this case, the liquid will be immediately absorbed in the stomach and enter the bloodstream.

As for the drinks themselves, the child can be given:

• Solutions for rehydration.
• Weak tea, can be with sugar and safe fruit.
• Dried fruits compote.
• Infusion of raisins (infuse a tablespoon of raisins, poured with 200 ml of water for 30-40 minutes).
• Compote of berries and fruits that the child tried before the illness.
• Morse or juice.
• Non-carbonated mineral water with a neutral taste.
• Watermelon.

Komarovsky calls rehydration solutions the best choice for drinking, however, with a body temperature of up to + 38 ° C, sufficient air humidification and no breathing problems, you can be guided by the desires of the child.

For infants with a cough, a popular doctor advises giving drink in addition to breastfeeding, since human milk does not cover the pathological waste of fluid. At an early age, the baby can be given a solution for rehydration, children's tea, mineral water without gas, and a decoction of raisins.

You need to drink your baby more actively if:

• The air in the room is dry and warm.
• The child's body temperature is high.
• Urination is rare, and the urine itself is darker than usual.
• There is severe shortness of breath and dry cough.
• The skin and mucous membranes are dry.

With a slight deterioration in the condition, low temperature, as well as access to cool and humid air, Komarovsky calls the child's thirst the main criterion for the frequency of drinking. At the same time, you need to offer a drink very often and at every opportunity. Supporting the drinking regimen is also important in cases where the child has a prolonged and residual cough.

Medical treatment

Komarovsky calls the appointment of any medicines for children with a cough the prerogative of the doctor. This is especially true for coughs in infants.

Cough preparations

Since coughing is a necessary protective reflex, in most cases such drugs are not needed. Komarovsky calls their appointment justified in whooping cough, when the child is tormented by coughing to vomiting. Also, drugs that depress the cough reflex are needed for pleurisy, an oncological process in the respiratory tract, and for an irritating cough caused by factors that affect the nerve endings.

Komarovsky is categorically against the independent prescription of antitussive drugs by parents to their children. He reminds that Some drugs in this group are narcotic and can cause addiction. In addition, many antitussives can also depress the respiratory center, which is especially dangerous in children under 2 years of age. So it is possible to use these drugs in children older than 2 years only if indicated and after being prescribed by a pediatrician.

Expectorants

The main purpose of the use of such drugs, a popular pediatrician calls the cleansing of the respiratory tract from sputum. It is very dangerous, according to Komarovsky, to combine such drugs with antitussives, because in such cases the sputum accumulated in the lungs will not be coughed up.

A well-known doctor divides all expectorants according to their mode of action into resorptive (they are absorbed in the stomach and excreted in the bronchi, affecting mucus) and reflex (they activate the nerve endings in the stomach and affect the muscles of the bronchi and mucus production).

Most modern drugs belong to the drugs with a reflex action. Komarovsky emphasizes that they are safe for children, but their effectiveness has not been proven, and the nature of the cough is more influenced by the conditions in which the child is located than any expectorant drugs.

Mucolytics

Such drugs affect the sputum itself, changing its rheology. Komarovsky names ambroxol, bromhexine, carbocysteine, acetylcysteine ​​and guaifenesin among the drugs of this group. A well-known doctor notes that it is advisable to use such drugs in the presence of viscous thick sputum. If the child has a mild version of SARS and has a wet cough, according to Komarovsky, mucolytics are not needed and can even increase the cough. In addition, the effect of such drugs will be ineffective if the blood rheology is not additionally affected by drinking plenty of water.

Coughing causes a lot of inconvenience to the child. Sometimes a coughing fit is so prolonged that it ends in vomiting. This is due to excessive tension in the abdominal muscles. Paroxysmal dry cough, most often occurs at night. The child sleeps, relaxes, mucus accumulates in the respiratory organs and prevents the child from sleeping. The result is a debilitating cough that does not stop for several minutes. To the question of how to treat a children's cough at home, Dr. Komarovsky gives a full detailed answer. According to a well-known pediatrician, first you need to find out in which part of the nasopharynx the changes occurred. Interview the child about which part of the larynx he experienced discomfort and pain.

After the interview, evaluate the child's body temperature. If the thermometer rose above the norm, according to the doctor, this is an acute respiratory disease or acute respiratory infections.
Track the nature of the sputum. Even with a dry cough, a small amount of mucus is secreted.

The child has a dry cough without fever

1. If a mother observes a dry cough in a baby, and the temperature does not go beyond the normal range, this is not an infectious disease. According to the doctor, the cause of everything may be an allergic reaction to dust and interior items. It is necessary to remove the irritant from the child as soon as possible.
2. Another important cause of cough without fever is reflux pathology of the esophagus. With this ailment, gastric juice enters the respiratory organs and causes irritation. As a result, bronchospasm occurs, irritation of the trachea and a dry, paroxysmal cough occurs.
3. Do not sound the alarm if the child's cough occurs after waking up. In the case when the baby coughed several times after sleep and there was no cough during the day. By such actions, the child's respiratory organs are cleared of mucus accumulated during sleep.

How to treat a child's cough. Types of cough

• As already mentioned, you need to listen to all the changes taking place in the body of the child. If the baby has not only a cough, but also signs of intoxication: headache, nausea, vomiting, weakness and malaise - this indicates the beginning of the flu.
• A strong, barking cough is a symptom of whooping cough. This serious disease affects children attending kindergarten and educational institutions. With whooping cough in a child, the body temperature rises sharply to high numbers, which is difficult to bring down with antipyretics. You can't do without a doctor. The child needs immediate medical attention. Dangerous disease development of spasm and stenosis of the larynx. The use of traditional methods of treatment is unacceptable.
• Dr. Komarovsky strongly recommends taking a closer look at the baby's chest during a coughing fit. If it bends strongly during coughing, you should seek the help of doctors to exclude the diagnosis of pneumonia.

Cough medicine for children

To rid the baby of cough, today, there is a huge selection of drugs. Commonly used mucolytics are based on herbal ingredients such as psyllium or ivy. A decoction of chamomile flowers will help stop the inflammatory process.
For children older than one year of age, the doctor recommends taking Lazolvan, Ambroxol, Ambrobene.

In addition to medicines, offer your child decoctions of lingonberries, raspberries, honey and blueberries. A storehouse of vitamins is found in cranberries. Prepare a drink for the baby.

• It should be remembered that self-medication is extremely dangerous. Drugs are prescribed strictly by a pediatrician. Otherwise, you can cause irreparable harm to the health of the child. For example, mucolytics have an expectorant effect. And a child with a dry, irritating cough should not thin the sputum, but stop the attacks by acting on the cough center. It is impossible to treat yourself with pneumonia and whooping cough. AT this case, treatment is required complex, not symptomatic.

According to Dr. Komarovsky, parents can help the child alleviate the condition by following some recommendations:

• the air in the room must be humidified. If there is no humidifier, you can simply turn on the hot water in the bathroom, close the door and breathe in moist air with your baby. Raw air contributes to a better discharge of sputum and relieve spasm;
• if the child's body temperature is within normal limits, go for a walk. It is especially useful to walk in the winter season and after rain;
• to stop an attack of dry cough, offer the baby to drink more fluids. Especially useful will be tea with the addition of raspberries or lemon;
• the liquid should not be hot, but warm. By such actions, you will avoid additional irritation of the larynx;
• if the baby has not only a cough, but also a temperature, prepare a drink for him with the addition of sugar and a few drops of lemon.

Like any doctor, Komarovsky is a supporter of self-treatment. Do not forget that giving the baby a self-appointed pill, the mother risks the health of the dearest and most beloved person. How to treat children's cough at home considered. Do not look for similar symptoms of the disease on the forums, go to the hospital. And remember that timely assistance will help to avoid the development of complications after the disease.

How to treat a cough according to Dr. Komarovsky

Every person, perhaps, at least once in his life faced with such a problem as a cough. Despite the fact that this is a natural reaction of the body, you should not ignore the symptom.

• How to treat a cough according to Dr. Komarovsky
• The reasons
• Treatment
• Living conditions
• Medications
• How to treat a dry cough in a child: Komarovsky and other views on the problem
• Cough - what is it?
• Causes of cough according to Komarovsky
• Treatment Methods
• Doctor Komarovsky's advice
• How to alleviate the condition
• Prevention
• How to treat children's cough: advice from Dr. Komarovsky
• Determination of the cause
• What is it?
• How is it manifested?
• Basic healing techniques
• How to treat children's cough at home, Dr. Komarovsky
• The child has a dry cough without fever
• How to treat a child's cough. Types of cough
• Cough medicine for children
• Treatment of children's cough: advice from Dr. Komarovsky
• Related posts:
• Treatment of dry cough according to Komarovsky
• Classification of dry cough in children
• The reasons
• How to treat dry cough?
• We recommend reading

How and how to treat a cough according to Dr. Komarovsky most effectively?

A pediatrician from Kharkov has his own professional opinion on this matter.

It should be understood that cough is not a disease, but only its manifestation. No self-respecting specialist will prescribe cough medicines to a patient without understanding the causes of its occurrence. However, few people go to doctors with complaints of such a symptom: most people prefer to deal with the problem on their own. To date, the choice of pharmacy products that promise to defeat a cough in a short time is very rich. However, by eliminating the symptom, you will not get rid of the very cause of its occurrence.

And, most likely, after some time, the cough will return again. How to treat a cough suggests Dr. Komarovsky? First of all, he recommends dealing with the root cause of the symptom. Cough can be associated not only with inflammation of the respiratory tract, but also with diseases of the heart, as well as the nervous system. This is due to a malfunction of the cough center, located directly in the brain, or stagnation of blood in the lungs, which increases the volume of sputum in them. Thus, we can conclude that cough is a symptom of a wide variety of diseases. The most common cause of its development are:

• Viral and bacterial infections of the respiratory tract (ARI, bronchitis, laryngitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, etc.);
• Allergic diseases of infectious and non-infectious nature (bronchial asthma and others);
• Tumors localized in the respiratory tract;
• Chemical damage to the bronchi (inhalation of paint or gasoline);
• Whooping cough.

Dr. Komarovsky draws attention to the fact that, first of all, it is worth asking not how to treat a cough, but what caused it to appear. By acting directly on the source of the problem, you will not only get rid of an unpleasant symptom, but also prevent the occurrence of complications.

Perhaps the easiest way to get rid of a cough is to act on the cough center. In this direction, potent drugs are active, which include codeine. However, without a doctor's prescription, these medicines cannot be purchased. What else does Dr. Komarovsky offer to treat a cough? Instead of drugs that contain codeine, the doctor recommends using more harmless and safe drugs that are suitable for both children and adults. However, the treatment of cough is not limited to taking medications.

Living conditions

With a strong cough, whether it is dry or wet, you should drink plenty of fluids and, if possible, warm. Thus, sputum is thinned, which means that it comes out of the lungs easier and faster. To achieve the same goal, it is recommended to periodically ventilate the room in which the patient is located. Do not forget to monitor the humidity of the air: dry air irritates the throat even more. According to Dr. Komarovsky, daily walks in the fresh air are also useful to reduce coughing attacks, but only if the patient does not have a high body temperature.

Medications

How to treat cough Dr. Komarovsky offers patients with such a problem? There are several groups of drugs that act directly on the cough center:

• Expectorants or mucolytics that increase the volume of sputum;
• Antitussive drugs that stop coughing attacks.

However, it is worth remembering that the frequent change of drugs and their use for other purposes is not only senseless, but also quite dangerous. Dr. Komarovsky focuses on the treatment of cough in infants. In this case, it is absolutely impossible to use mucolytics, as they are dangerous for the health of children under 2 years of age.

In the following video, Dr. Komarovsky talks about the most effective cough remedies:

An alternative to potent drugs that are safe for both coughing in children and adults are mukaltin, ammonia-anise drops, bromhexine and ambroxol. In the early stages of the development of a cough, they can be very effective, however, it is better to check the dosage of taking this or that drug with a qualified specialist.

Find out more on the topic

• How to treat a wet cough Doctors distinguish two types of cough - dry and wet. The latter, according to doctors, is more productive. Many of us know how...
• How to treat a cough in a baby With the advent of cold weather, a period of colds begins, especially among young children. Newborn babies are especially susceptible to colds. How and what to treat ...
• How to treat a cough Cough is a protective reaction of the body to irritants that enter the mucous membrane of the throat. There are two types of cough - wet and ...
• How to treat a dry cough As you know, a cough is a reaction of the body to an irritant. A strong dry cough requires a special approach to treatment. How and what...
• How to treat a barking cough Cough is a defensive reaction of the body, but it is far from always appropriate. A paroxysmal cough can bring the patient only a lot of inconvenience. ...

Source:

How to treat a dry cough in a child: Komarovsky and other views on the problem

The child coughed - worse than ever! A continuous cough torments a beloved child - the whole family has no peace! You think to yourself: “It would be better if I had been ill a hundred times ...” A familiar picture? There is a way out of this situation. Famous on the Internet, Dr. Komarovsky gives advice on the treatment of dry cough in a child. His recommendations are given in this article.

Cough - what is it?

What is a cough? This is an important mechanism of the body, which contributes to the normal functioning of the respiratory system. The mucous membrane of our bronchi all the time produces a certain substance. It includes the necessary components, which in turn allow you to maintain the elasticity of tissues.

Dust that enters the respiratory system is absorbed by sputum. Komarovsky notes that it is this sputum that is the body's main fighter against infections that enter the child's body, along with inhaled dust. It also contains antimicrobial substances:

Komarovsky also draws attention to the following nuance. Sputum has certain physical and chemical properties: viscosity and density. In medical language, this is the rheology of sputum. It is logical to assume: if the mucus has an abnormal rheology, then it will not be able to perform its functions in full.

Now for the dry cough. Dry cough occurs at the beginning of inflammation of the mucous membranes, when there is still no sputum in the bronchi. This is the stage in the development of the disease when the infection causes irritation in the airways.

If there is a cough, then the body itself will not cope with it. He needs help!

Causes of cough according to Komarovsky

Dry cough, according to Dr. Komarovsky, is most often not accompanied by a runny nose or fever. Attacks of dry cough last a long time and exhaust the child's body.

Important! Attacks of dry cough are exacerbated at night due to the peculiarities of the autonomic nervous system. In this case, you need to act directly on the cough center.

It should be remembered that coughing is only a symptom of the disease. To defeat a cough, you must first establish the cause of its occurrence. If you self-medicate and suppress only the symptoms, the disease will soon return. Komarovsky claims that by influencing the very cause of cough in a timely manner, one can get rid of not only the annoying symptom, but also all sorts of complications of the disease.

Dry cough can be not only a symptom of respiratory diseases, but also a harbinger of diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

The most common causes of dry unproductive cough:

• viral infections
• bacterial infections
• mixed type infections (viral-bacterial etiology)
• allergens
• localized tumors in the respiratory tract
• damage to the bronchi by chemicals (gasoline, glue, paints)

There are many reasons for dry cough. The most important thing is to choose an effective treatment.

Treatment Methods

What treatment method does Dr. Komarovsky recommend? The simplest treatment for dry cough is a targeted effect on the cough center. Medications will come to the rescue, the active substance of which is codeine. These drugs should not be used without a doctor's prescription.

Komarovsky claims that not only codeine will help a child get rid of an illness. It is quite possible to get by with more gentle means that alleviate bouts of unproductive coughing.

Today, pharmacies present the whole variety of antitussives:

• expectorants (mucolytics) that act to increase sputum volume
• cough suppressants and cough suppressants

Important to remember! Frequent use other than prescribed by a specialist can lead to a complication of the disease. Do not use mucolytic agents for children under 2 years of age. It is dangerous for their health.

For babies, it is better to use safer drugs. Among them Komarovsky includes:

• Mukaltin
• Ammonia anise drops
• Bromhexine
• Ambroxol

The treatment algorithm is selected only by the doctor. If the cause of dry cough is diagnosed correctly, then getting rid of it will be much faster.

According to Komarovsky, the presence of moist air in the room is a necessary condition for the successful and rapid recovery of the child. The composition of the air directly affects the quantity and quality of sputum. Conversely, dry air, according to Dr. Komarovsky, contains a lot of dust and harmful elements that contribute to the buildup of coughing attacks.

Hence the conclusion. Ventilate, ventilate and ventilate again! In the room where the sick child is located, the air should always be cool and humid. The temperature is not more than 18°C, the humidity is 50%. To achieve the desired humidity, you can use a humidifier. If it is not there, then you can arrange containers with ordinary water, which will evaporate and humidify the surrounding air.

Komarovsky's next tip is to get rid of household dust. The more dust in the room, the more likely the mucus in the bronchi to dry out. Regular wet cleaning of the room will help. Cleaning should be carried out only with clean water, without the use of chemicals.

Do not neglect the following important recommendation: drink as much liquid as possible. It is desirable that the temperature of the consumed liquid be equal to body temperature. This contributes to its faster absorption into the blood. And, consequently, more successful liquefaction and separation of sputum in the respiratory tract. How much liquid to drink? It depends on the age of the child, the state of the air in the room, the presence of elevated temperature.

You can find out if a child drinks enough volume by the following sign. If the baby urinates at least once every 3 hours, then there is enough fluid in the body.

It must be remembered that in the presence of a cold. sore throat and fever, treatment with mucolytic and antitussive drugs will be meaningless.

Komarovsky also recommends keeping the child's feet warm when coughing. In the absence of temperature, carry out warming procedures: foot baths with mustard, wear warm socks. You can put a tablespoon of dry mustard in socks. The use of mustard plasters will not be superfluous either. They should be applied to the back and chest for 3-5 minutes. After applying them, you should put on a warm blouse to prolong the warming effect.

How to alleviate the condition

Dr. Komarovsky believes that walking in the fresh air will be useful to relieve bouts of unproductive coughing. But only if the child does not have a high temperature.

Also, to reduce dry cough, you can use folk remedies:

• glass of warm milk with honey
• half a glass of milk with soda
• tea with raspberry jam

Means to relieve coughing fits can be prepared with the child. In a glass of milk let him put three figs. Bring the prepared mixture to a boil, cool slightly. The medicine prepared by the baby himself will be drunk with great pleasure!

Banana puree will help eliminate cough. Add warm water to the prepared puree and serve to the child. The use of viburnum will also be effective. Tea is made from berries, a decoction is made from flowers. Kalina contains a large amount of vitamin C.

To alleviate the condition, you can do a light chest massage. Movements should be in the form of patting and tapping, which contribute to a better discharge of sputum. Do rubbing with warming ointments. apply compresses to the chest and back. Older children can be inhaled with saline or mineral water. All sorts of cough drops will also alleviate the condition.

All of these ways to alleviate bouts of unproductive coughing are a good help. But they do not replace medical treatment.

Prevention

A little about prevention. Komarovsky does not get tired of repeating that the most important thing for preventive purposes is to prevent a decrease in the child's immunity. It's no secret that a weak immune system is more susceptible to infections and viruses.

Daily airing of a dwelling reduces the risk of infection by 2-3 times, because pathogens die in cold air.

A huge help in the fight against viral diseases (including influenza) are preventive vaccinations. They need to be done every year at the onset of the cold season. The positive effect of vaccination occurs after two weeks. It is desirable that during this period the child does not come into contact with infectious patients.

Important! Only a doctor directs for vaccination! The child must be absolutely healthy. Vaccination can be done from 6 months.

During the cold season, as a preventive measure, Dr. Komarovsky recommends drinking a rosehip decoction. This will strengthen the child's immunity, as rose hips contain a large amount of vitamin C.

If a child suffers from colds more than 8 times a year, then doctors refer them to the group of often and long-term sick people (CHD). In this case, consultation with an immunologist is necessary. Often sick children, the pediatrician can prescribe sanatorium treatment. And absolutely free! By the Ministry of Health.

Another effective preventive measure is hardening. But only in moderation. You should start with a gradual decrease in water temperature. Reduce by one degree every day. Hardening should start from the feet. For example, in the first days - they soaked the legs in cool water, on the fifth day - up to the hips, and so on. Only a healthy child should be tempered. Even if there is only a slight runny nose, hardening should be stopped.

For any cough, a qualified specialist should be consulted. In no case do not self-medicate! Not only will you not cure, but you will earn a complication. Your child's health is in your hands!

Noticed an error? Select it and press Ctrl+Enter. to let us know.

Feb 18, 2017 Violetta Lekar

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LadyVeka.ru » Children » Children's health »

There are many ways to overcome the hated dry cough that torments a child, sometimes causing him even vomiting attacks and making it difficult to sleep at night. However, before prescribing treatment, it is necessary to make sure exactly what caused the disease and which part of the nasopharynx is affected so that the drugs used have the most effective effect and do no harm.

One of the best advice is given by the famous pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky - he not only tells how to treat a dry cough in a child, but also explains in detail to parents how self-diagnosis is carried out, and what measures are taken in this or that case.

Determination of the cause

As a rule, dry cough does not occur on its own - even in children of a fairly young age. ARVI is most often its cause - in this case, it is necessary to ask the child in detail about sore throat, shortness of breath, and also find other signs by measuring the temperature and carefully examining the throat.

An infant often has a skin reaction, which is accompanied by a rash or swelling of the upper part of the neck. Gently probing the area with your hand, you can feel a strong fever, which will be the main symptom of a cold.

However, the best way to solve the problem of dry cough is to take the child to the doctor for diagnosis. You need to contact your pediatrician, who, if necessary, will write a referral to an otolaryngologist or infectious disease specialist. The doctor will carefully examine the throat, listen to the breath, and also prescribe the appropriate treatment, which will be represented by drugs.

In almost all cases, mucolytics of various effects are used - only in the case of a bacterial complication of the disease for children, antibiotics and other, more powerful agents are prescribed.

It is also necessary to carefully examine the mucus that is rejected by the child's body and comes out - during a dry cough it may practically not be, but a certain amount is still released. If the mucus is transparent, and there is no increase in temperature, then dry cough is not caused by an infectious disease, but by a completely different factor. In this case, it is necessary to look for another cause, and eliminate it as soon as possible in order to prevent the occurrence of complications.

What is it?

Dr. Komarovsky says that dry cough in children of any age can be caused by a number of reasons, from harmless to very dangerous.

In an infant, you can notice a similar phenomenon immediately after waking up - he coughs several times, after which the urge stops and breathing returns to normal. This is completely natural and it is not worth treating any disease or looking for another reason - the baby's lungs get rid of the sputum accumulated during sleep in order to ensure the free entry of oxygen into the blood.

The alarm should be sounded only if the infant begins a barking, hysterical dry cough, which is accompanied by fever and the release of small clots of cloudy mucus.

Also, the reason for starting immediate treatment is the long duration of dry cough, which is not limited to a few urges after sleep.

In addition, the cause may be quite banal SARS. However, Yevgeny Komarovsky warns against treating all diseases with the same method and the same medicines. First, the doctor must determine which part of the nasopharynx is damaged and what caused the dry cough.

How is it manifested?

Depending on the nature of the damage to the throat of a child, mucolytics, antiseptics are prescribed, and in case of bacterial infections, other means that can fight such an invasion into the body. In addition, a signal to start intensive treatment is a sharp increase in body temperature and the appearance of symptoms of intoxication.

This is the first sign that a child has the flu, warns Komarovsky. Symptoms also include a severe cough that does not bring relief, but is accompanied by sharp pain in the sternum.

Barking coughing attacks are very rare, but they are evidence of a bacterial complication. It is worth treating such a disease with supportive therapy in combination with folk remedies - unfortunately, very few effective drugs against viral diseases have been developed.

Dry cough is quite often caused by more serious diseases - as an example, Dr. Komarovsky calls whooping cough, which is often spread in kindergartens and schools by airborne droplets. At the same time, it is rather barking or even buzzing - a characteristic strong resonant sound appears in the chest, which is clearly distinguishable even without careful listening.

In addition, evidence of the presence of whooping cough can be a sharp increase in temperature, which is resistant to many antipyretics. Self-treatment - including folk remedies in this case is also unacceptable, an immediate visit to the doctor is necessary, which is usually followed by hospitalization.

In addition, it is necessary to look closely at the movement of the chest of children - if it literally bends during a dry cough, urgent hospitalization is also necessary for the treatment of pneumonia.

The last point, which Yevgeny Komarovsky calls, is not associated with infections at all - it is represented by reflux disease of the esophagus, in which stomach acid enters the respiratory system, causing a strong burning sensation and provoking a dry cough. In addition, sometimes a similar phenomenon can be represented by an allergy, including to ordinary household dust, which often accumulates in children's rooms under carpets, beds and soft toys.

In this case, it is necessary to treat the symptoms, as well as to eliminate allergens from the immediate environment of the child as quickly as possible:

• carry out wet cleaning of the house;
• put aside soft toys;
• use a sparing diet;
• try to avoid wearing synthetic fabrics;
• try to limit contact with chemical dyes.

However, it is worth noting that neither reflux nor allergies can cause a strong cough that is barking or humming - this is a sign of an infectious disease.

Basic healing techniques

The traditional treatment of dry cough in children involves the use of a number of drugs that are prescribed for certain diseases. In particular, if a dry cough is caused by ARVI in a child, then a fairly simple scheme is applied. It is almost impossible to treat a viral disease, so you just need to alleviate the symptoms. For children under the age of 1 year, only natural plant mucolytics based on plantain syrup or ivy extract are used.

If your child's age has already exceeded this value, then a stronger treatment based on Ambroscol (Lazolvan) or similar chemically synthesized substances may be prescribed.

In addition, it is also possible to treat a viral cold by using folk remedies as additional components of the scheme.

The best results for getting rid of dry cough are the use of decoctions based on honey, raspberries, lingonberries, and blueberries.

However, Dr. Komarovsky warns against prescribing treatment for children on their own. If you treat diseases of the upper respiratory tract with mucolytics, this will only increase the dry cough due to the release of mucus, which will not be effectively rejected by the body. In addition, in the presence of fever, and also if the child has a barking cough, you should immediately consult a doctor.

It is also necessary to receive professional treatment if there are signs of a severe infection or pneumonia - only a specialist can deal with these diseases, and it is impossible to eliminate them with folk remedies.

To relieve dry cough in children - including infants, it is recommended to humidify the air in the room. Treatment supplemented with hydration allows you to more effectively thin the sputum and turn a dry cough into a productive one.

In the absence of temperature, outdoor walks are very important, even in winter - this is especially emphasized by Evgeny Komarovsky.

To stop a dry cough, or relieve barking, you need to drink more fluids. In the absence of a temperature for children, it is better to make moderately sweet teas with raspberries and lemon. Treatment should not involve the use of excessively hot liquids - many mothers force-feed their children with near-boiling tea, which further irritates the larynx and exacerbates both dry and barking coughs.

If there is an increase in temperature, then it is recommended to give just a warm liquid with a little sugar and a few drops of lemon juice - the same recommendation is valid for an infant.

Remember that the treatment of severe dry cough should be medically justified and should not further harm the health of children. Dr. Komarovsky emphasizes that self-treatment is one of the least effective methods, especially in the information chaos that is happening on the Internet and on television. If your child develops a persistent cough of any nature, seek immediate medical attention.

The treatment of a cold is left behind, but you still can't get rid of a cough? The mucous membrane of the respiratory tract in a child after SARS recovers slowly and, together with a weakened immune system, an unpleasant residual cough appears. How dangerous is it to health and how to cure a cough in a child?

Why does residual cough happen in children?

To cure a viral infection, bronchitis, pneumonia is only the first stage on the road to recovery. A weakened child's body, especially after taking antibiotics, needs time to recover. And all the while, sensitive bronchi use the most common defense mechanism - coughing, which prevents the airways from becoming clogged with phlegm, mucus or pus. Therefore, parents need to know the causes, symptoms and how to properly treat residual cough in a child.

The reasons

A persistent cough in a child after a respiratory disease is more likely to be a normal variant than a rare occurrence. To recover and develop immunity, the baby's body needs some time. The viruses remaining after the illness are no longer so strong, but they still continue to irritate the bronchi and trachea, causing a residual cough, which, with proper therapy, should pass in two to three weeks. Among other reasons, when a child has a strong cough without fever:

• recurrence of an inflammatory or infectious disease;
• reaction of the respiratory tract to contact with cold air, excessive physical activity;
• allergies to dust, pet hair, cigarette smoke;
• foreign body;
• stress, nervousness;
• a rare disease of the stomach - gastroesophageal reflux.

Symptoms

The situation, when there is a feeling that the cold is not going to go away and the child does not stop coughing for a long time, should alert the parents. At this moment, according to some signs, it is necessary to be able to determine where the beginning of a new disease is, and where the baby has stopped getting sick, and is only subject to residual effects. The most common symptoms of a persistent cough are:

• periodic manifestation of the residual phenomenon, when the cough itself is shallow, there is no sputum, it often appears in the morning;
• there is no temperature, snot, intoxication and other signs of a cold;
• within three weeks after completion of the course of therapy, the cough becomes less intense and rare;
• the baby’s immune system, recovering, weakens the cough and copes with it, even without treatment.

When is a cough dangerous in a child after an illness?

Fear should be caused by a situation when a child has a ringing cough for a month, a temperature has appeared, or the baby complains of pain. One must be able to distinguish any of these symptoms from residual effects and, if suspected, contact a pediatrician so that the baby undergoes an additional examination. What is the danger of a prolonged or incessant cough in children? Behind this, the development of chronic bronchitis, whooping cough, pneumonia, or a chest injury that makes inhalation and exhalation painful, tuberculosis may begin. In these cases, serious medical attention is required.

How to treat residual cough

If there is confidence that these are residual effects after an acute respiratory viral infection or some other viral infection, then drug treatment may not be needed. After a few weeks, the respiratory system normalizes, the mucous membrane clears up and the residual cough will pass if you often ventilate the room, do wet cleaning, and use an ultrasonic humidifier. Then how to treat residual cough in a child? Quickly get rid of an obsessive cough will help folk remedies, inhalation, in special cases - medication.

Medical treatment

To help clear the phlegm or mucus that accumulates with a cold, your baby's airways can be treated with medication to help clear the residual effects. According to the nature of the cough and the general assessment of the state of the child's body, the pediatrician will prescribe thinners (dry cough) or expectorants (wet cough) or drugs with spasmodic or enveloping properties. To reduce irritation of the mucosa and to cope with residual effects help:

Folk remedies

If the child coughs heavily, then the conspiracy is unlikely to help influence the process. Among folk remedies, there are other useful recipes that help to remove a dry frequent cough in a child with the help of decoctions, products prepared in a special way, compresses. How to cure residual cough in a child with folk methods:

• Warm drink with milk, and this product is combined with honey, soda, butter, figs, goat fat, mineral water. A tablespoon of another ingredient is taken for one glass of heated liquid, and milk is diluted with mineral water in a ratio of 1: 1. Such treatment of cough in children with the help of folk remedies is considered the most popular, and if you give a warm drink to a baby at night, it helps to improve sleep, remove a barking cough, and cure a throat.
• Egg yolks ground with sugar (chicken, quail) are a well-known eggnog. If a child coughs up vomiting, a whistle is heard, then this folk remedy will not help, but such a sweet treatment can alleviate a hard cough. To make the taste even more pleasant, honey, cocoa, citrus juice are added to the pounded yolks, but on condition that the baby is not allergic to these products. To prepare a serving, you need to take one yolk and a tablespoon of granulated sugar, carefully grind to a lush white mass, and then add any of the additional ingredients up to a teaspoon.
• Herbal infusions are prepared in the evening, a thermos is used for this, and the proportions are simple: 1 tbsp is taken per glass of boiling water. l. vegetable raw materials. To make the treatment of cough in children faster, chamomile, linden blossom, St. John's wort, sage, green cones are taken for infusion.
• Instead of mustard plasters and ready-made pharmaceutical ointments, it is better to do rubbing at night if the child has a wet cough, with pork, goat, badger, bear fat, and then wrap the baby well.
• Compresses are another good folk remedy if the child does not have a dry cough for a long time, and boiled and mashed potatoes, bread crumb, cabbage leaf with honey are suitable for the procedure.

Inhalation with dry cough without fever

The search for an effective method of how to cure dry cough in children, if the process is a residual effect, leads to treatment with inhalation. To soften is the main goal of this type of therapy, and steam is ideal for this. The baby will have to breathe over hot vapors, and the liquid is still gurgling, so parents should be very careful and monitor the baby. Inhalation is well suited for those who suffer from chronic cough, and the duration of the procedure takes no more than a quarter of an hour.

In the absence of allergic reactions, essential oils are suitable, for example, pine, juniper, eucalyptus. Dr. Komarovsky advises doing inhalations with medicinal herbs (string, ledum, coltsfoot), and use either inhalers or a nebulizer during the procedure. An effective and simple folk method is to breathe over a pot of potatoes, covering your head with a towel on top.

Video: how to relieve residual cough in a child

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Why does the child have a residual cough

Residual cough is observed in a child after suffering bronchitis, pneumonia and tracheitis. It is observed already after all the symptoms have gone, the temperature has returned to normal, all the main signs of the disease have passed. In this case, the child periodically coughs without spitting out sputum. Such manifestations are called residual cough.

Residual cough may appear for up to two weeks. In this case, children's immunity becomes decisive. In the event that ARVI is observed in a child for the sixth time a year, residual cough can be observed in him for up to three weeks.

The causative agent of an infectious disease causes residual cough. The mucous membrane of the bronchi and trachea is damaged by the virus, and it does not recover too quickly. It will take some time for it to fully recover. That is what constitutes the period of observation of residual cough.

Residual cough after bronchitis in a child

Residual cough after bronchitis gives the child a lot of trouble and requires appropriate treatment. Despite the fact that there is no immediate danger of coughing after bronchitis, there are two circumstances that make it necessary to take it seriously.

First of all, it is often confused with the symptoms of bronchitis itself or its complications. In this case, the duration of the cough and the nature of its course are important. After bronchitis, it makes sense to periodically show the child to the doctor. In the event that the child has been coughing for more than three weeks, while the cough is dry, occurs in attacks, the possibility of whooping cough should be excluded.

The duration of the cough after bronchitis suggests that there are malfunctions in the immune system. Pathogenic microbes that cause disease are perfectly deposited on the irritated bronchi of the child. He could catch the infection again if it is present in his team, whether it be a kindergarten group or a class. It is better to keep the child at home until the cough is completely eliminated from him.

Residual cough in a child after SARS

Cough can be a residual phenomenon after an ARVI suffered by a child. It is observed because there is a violation of the normal process of functioning of the organs of the respiratory system of the child and sputum in the form of mucus is formed in his bronchi. It is the presence of residual cough after SARS that is a guarantee of protection of the bronchi and trachea from sputum.

Residual cough after a respiratory infection can be either dry or with sputum. At the same time, the secreted sputum is thick and viscous, with impurities of mucus.

A cough in a child can manifest itself in different ways. Coughing can be either inconspicuous or turn into a strong, persistent cough. In the latter case, the child may have a fever and feel worse. Residual cough after SARS is most often manifested in preschool children.

Residual cough in a child after tracheitis

The main symptoms of tracheitis in a child are fatigue, weakness, fever. In their external absence, the child may experience a cough, which is one of the residual symptoms of the disease. This is observed in almost every second case. Residual cough in a child after tracheitis is manifested due to weakened immunity or individual characteristics of the child's body. Getting on the mucous membranes of the trachea and bronchi, the virus begins to actively multiply. Residual cough does not need any additional treatment, however time is needed for recovery.

How long does a residual cough last in a child?

Residual cough after an illness in a child is one of the normal phenomena. In about half of the reported cases, it lasts up to a month or longer. It all depends on the state of the child's body and the disease that he suffered. If it is observed after bronchitis, special attention should be paid to the nature of the discharge when coughing. They should be light, the body temperature should not rise, and in general, the cough itself should tend to decrease.

Children at preschool age themselves cannot track the frequency of sputum discharge and spit it normally. In addition, they need more time to restore the bronchial mucosa. If you do not resort to additional methods of treatment, sputum disappears after about a month.

For children of primary school age, a shorter amount of time is required to eliminate the symptoms of residual cough. If no additional treatment is applied, their cough clears up within ten days on average. Treatment can cut this time in half.

Residual cough in a child, how to treat?

For the treatment of residual cough in a child, a number of preventive procedures are required to facilitate the treatment process itself. Often this is enough to stop the residual cough, especially if it occurs after bronchitis. Preventive measures include airing the room in which the child lives, preventing exposure to acute allergens, protecting the child from smoking in his presence, maintaining the temperature in the child’s living room at a certain level, without drops.

In residential premises, it is required to regularly carry out wet cleaning and monitor the general state of the microclimate. It is recommended to use a humidifier, the principle of which is based on the use of ultrasound. This is more effective than hanging wet towels in the room and placing water containers on the floor. The air humidifier is able not only to maintain the air humidity at a given level, but also to purify it from harmful impurities.

Dry cough is one of the varieties of residual cough that occurs in a child after suffering various diseases. Like any kind of cough, it requires the use of a certain method of treatment.

First of all, it is necessary to place the child in a comfortable and calm state. Most often, parents are well aware that a dry cough is often caused by exposure to noise or strong light on the child.

• a teaspoon of fresh honey without adding anything else;
• a glass of boiled milk with the addition of a teaspoon of baking soda;
• the use of tea with raspberry jam to solder the child before going to bed.

Steam inhalation can significantly alleviate the course of a dry cough in a child. For this, drinking water is used with a concentration of baking soda in the amount of four tablespoons per liter.

In the event that self-administered treatment does not give any desired results, it is necessary to seek help from a doctor. He will be able to correctly determine the cause of dry cough in a child and prescribe adequate treatment.

How to get rid of residual wet cough in a child

Residual cough in a child is most often due to sputum accumulated in his lungs. In such cases, children's doctors generally advise first of all to ensure the ventilation of the child's room. In addition, you can wash his nose with saline placed in a jar. Such a measure is more suitable for prevention so that the sputum does not dry out in the child's nasopharynx.

Be sure to give the child a drink in large quantities. Rosehip broth is best suited for this, it contains a large amount of vitamins and trace elements. For example, there is more vitamin C in it than in all mineral and vitamin complexes. When preparing the solution, the dosage of its use should be observed. Rosehips in the volume of one tablespoon are poured with a glass of water, after which the entire volume must be brought to a boil. After boiling for an hour, all liquid must be cooled for two hours. After that, about a tenth of the solution is diluted with water to a volume of 200 milliliters. Should be applied every other day. After about a week and a half, there is a weakening of dry cough, and by the end of the month it completely stops.

How to treat residual cough according to Komarovsky

The main recommendations of Dr. Komarovsky boil down to the following: you should not suppress the residual cough in a child through the use of various cough suppressants. This is dangerous, since coughing is nothing more than the consequences of previous seasonal illnesses. Thus, the child's body cleanses itself. If the coughing stops, the lungs will not produce enough sputum. This entails impaired ventilation of the lungs and increases the risk of pneumonia and bronchitis.

Dr. Komarovsky believes that a cough is necessary for a child's body. Of course, it needs to be treated, but the treatment should not be based on eliminating the cough, but on its relief. There must be a sufficiently effective relief effect on the lungs of the child. The use of drugs should be primarily aimed at eliminating sputum. Everyone knows that the thicker the sputum, the harder it is to leave the child's body.

Residual cough in a child, how to treat folk remedies?

Pine buds in water or milk give a good effect when used to treat residual cough in a child. The preparation of a medicinal infusion involves adding a tablespoon of pine buds to half a liter of boiling milk. The fire is turned off and the infusion is carried out for an hour. To solder the child, a warm infusion is applied every two hours in a volume of 50 milliliters. In this case, milk can be replaced with water, and pine cones with spruce shoots.

Badger fat is considered a good traditional medicine for the treatment of residual cough in a child. Preschool children are recommended only for its external use. Fat is rubbed on the skin on the back of the child, on the abdomen, shoulders, chest and legs. After this, the child must be covered warmly and put to bed. After he sweats well, you need to change his underwear.

For children over seven years old, badger fat can be recommended for oral use in a teaspoon three times a day. You can dissolve it in warm milk and give it to a child with honey, it will be healthy and tasty. If a child is allergic to such drinking components, you can buy him badger fat at a pharmacy.

In addition to badger fat, sheep and goose fat can also be used. The intake of such fats is carried out according to the same principle as the use of badger fat for medicinal purposes.

cashelb.com

A stuffy nose, a parted mouth, a nasal voice, a slimy green discharge - there are probably no parents in the world who are unfamiliar with these classic symptoms of a childhood cold. Why are children more likely than adults to suffer from this unpleasant disease? The root cause lies in the peculiarities of the structure of the respiratory system of the child: the respiratory organs up to 12-13 years old are not only smaller, but also differ in the revealed incompleteness of the anatomical structure. Children's runny nose is not a harmless disease that can be left to chance: if it is not cured in time, the disease can acquire a protracted and even chronic form.

For what reason the child does not have a runny nose and cough, you can find out from this article.

The reasons

What terms for the treatment of rhinitis are considered normal? The usual inflammatory process caused by a viral infection can be “winned” over a period of five to seven days, depending on the age of the patient.

In some cases, when it comes to weakened immunity and diseases caused by bacteria, it can take up to ten days. If after this time the child is still tormented by discharge from the nose, a runny nose is considered protracted. That is, if a month has passed, it is worth thinking about the reasons.

What to do when an adult does not have a runny nose for 2 weeks can be found in this article.

Prolonged rhinitis is not always evidence of parental negligence. Even with a responsible approach to the problem, the disease may not leave the baby for a long time, creating difficulties with breathing, sleeping, eating, badly affecting memory and attentiveness. Often this is due to incorrect diagnosis and incorrectly prescribed treatment.

Only an ENT doctor can accurately determine what caused prolonged rhinitis in a child based on tests, but there are also external differences that will help parents navigate the complex classification of this disease.

How is the treatment of cough and runny nose in infants, you can learn from this article.

Vasomotor rhinitis

The most common complication of the common cold, provoked by a viral or bacterial infection. The reason for it, surprisingly, is not the lack of treatment, but, on the contrary, its abuse. Vasomotor rhinopathy appears as a result of too long treatment with vasoconstrictor drops, which alleviate the patient's condition and allow him to breathe, but negatively affect the condition of the vessels. Symptoms of the disease:

• alternate laying of the nostrils (especially evident when lying on the side). If the patient lies on the right side of the body, then the right nostril will be blocked and vice versa;
• the appearance of mucous secretions and nasal congestion with a sharp change in temperature (for example, if you enter a warm room from a frost);
• sleep disorders;
• headache;
• stuffy nose during stress, nervous tension (because of this symptom, vasomotor rhinitis is often called neurovascular rhinitis).

From this article you can find out how to wash the nose of a child with a runny nose.

Another name for the disease - a false runny nose - was given to her because she often appears in the complete absence of a viral infection. In this case, the nose can be stuffy due to hormonal changes (pregnancy, menstruation, menopause, thyroid problems), external irritants (odors, dust, smoke), sudden changes in the weather.

Diagnosed in time, this type of disease is easily treatable, otherwise it can cause complications such as otitis media and sinusitis.

The video discusses the situation when a child does not have a runny nose:

For what reason a 3-year-old child has a runny nose and cough, you can find out from this article.

Sinusitis

Inflammation of the maxillary sinuses or sinusitis - the consequences of untreated rhinitis. The maxillary sinuses are located next to the nose, on either side of it, and are designed to warm and filter the air entering through the nose. They are directly connected with the nasal cavity and during a runny nose are also subject to inflammation. With timely and adequate treatment, sinusitis goes away simultaneously with rhinitis, but if the disease is started, it can become chronic. You can identify the disease by the following symptoms:

The disease is treated with antibiotics, regular washings, heating, physiotherapy (electrophoresis, ultrasound, inhalation). In rare cases, a surgical puncture and washing in a hospital may be necessary.

What to do when the ear is blocked with a runny nose, you can learn from this article.

allergic rhinitis

This disease affects children more often than it might seem at first glance, but most parents are the last to admit the possibility of an allergy in their child. After all, they try to feed him only with natural farm products, spend several hours a day in the park, and there are no allergies in the family - where does such a misfortune come from?

In fact, everything is not so simple, the human body succumbs to the attack of external stimuli every second. It can be household dust, wool and pet food, pollen, household chemicals, baby care cosmetics, food. The body of a healthy person copes with these attacks, but in the case of reduced immunity or impaired metabolism, it begins to signal that he needs help. The main danger of an allergy is that it can develop into bronchial asthma, so a seemingly harmless allergic rhinitis must be treated.

What pills for the common cold are best taken, you can find out from this article.

Symptoms of rhinopathy:

• constant liquid clear discharge from the nose;
• frequent paroxysmal sneezing;
• redness and tearing of the eyes;
• nasal congestion;
• itching in the nose.

The video tells about the reasons why a runny nose does not go away in a child and how to treat it:

Is it possible to walk with a child with a cold, indicated in this article.

The treatment regimen for each child is developed individually, depending on the course of the disease and the age of the patient. First of all, it is the control of the child's environment, the exclusion of potential allergens from food and the maintenance of cleanliness in the room. When possible, doctors try to refuse the appointment of antihistamines, since this type of medication is not well tolerated by all children.

Deviated septum

The nasal septum is a cartilaginous thin wall that separates the human respiratory organ into two cavities. The cause of its curvature may be uneven growth of the skeleton, trauma, uneven patency of the nasal passages. Symptoms of the pathology are similar to those of rhinitis, but snoring, whistling or other sounds are usually added to them, indicating a violation of nasal breathing. It is treated with a simple surgical operation, the decision on the need for which is made by the ENT doctor, after weighing all the factors.

What children's nasal drops from a runny nose are best used, indicated in the article.

The video tells about the situation if a runny nose does not go away for a long time in an adult:

Features of the treatment of protracted rhinitis in children of different ages

Despite the fact that doctors strongly discourage parents from self-medicating their children, even in the case of ordinary rhinitis, most moms and dads, as a rule, go to the doctor already when a runny nose lasts two weeks or more. In the fight against children's snot, the first drops that came to hand from a past illness are used, the pills recommended by the pharmacist at the nearest pharmacy, the ointment that helped the neighbor's baby. How many complications (and often unnecessary costs) could have been avoided with a timely visit to the pediatrician. But even if the diagnosis is made correctly right away, each age group of children has its own characteristics that do not allow them to be treated according to one well-established scheme.

How to use aloe juice from a cold is indicated in this article.

Children up to a year

Rhinitis in the youngest patients is common. If a runny nose in a baby does not go away, it is often due to the fact that the respiratory system of the baby is imperfect, the nasal passages are too small and narrow. In this regard, newborns may experience a physiological runny nose, the cause of which is adaptation after childbirth. In the womb, he was in a humid environment and did not know what temperature drops were, and after being born he got acquainted with dust, dry air, and began to learn to breathe through his nose. Because of this, the nasal passages of the child are dry, which gives a "green light" to bacteria and viruses that enter them.

To prevent physiological rhinitis, it is necessary from birth to carefully clean the nose with turundas twisted from sterile cotton wool (by no means cotton swabs!) And irrigate with ready-made hygiene solutions sold in pharmacies (Otrivin Baby, Humer, Aquamaris). Burying breast milk into the nose is not worth it, contrary to a widespread misconception, it does not have disinfectant properties, but it is a fertile environment for the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms.

It is impossible to treat a baby from a runny nose on its own if it is still a matter of viral rhinitis, the infection can spread to the bronchi and lungs in a matter of hours, and this is fraught with very bad consequences.

Children from one to three

This category of patients can no longer suffer from physiological rhinitis, but is often prone to viral and allergic. At the age of 1-3 years, prolonged rhinitis can become an additional factor for the occurrence of diseases such as otitis media, tonsillitis, laryngitis. Treatment is complicated by the fact that the child still cannot empty his nose on his own and rinse it with saline, so cleaning the nasal passages from mucus is the task of the parents. For this, an aspirator is used, a device consisting of a rubber pear, to which a plastic tip is attached. It works due to the vacuum and allows you to quickly return the child to fully breathe through the nose.

Children from three years old

When treating rhinitis in patients older than three years, doctors try to use a minimum of drugs. If the disease is not allergic in nature, the emphasis should be on the so-called folk remedies: heating the maxillary sinuses with a hard-boiled chicken egg, a bag of heated coarse salt, and jacket potatoes. Warm up, cleanse, moisturize, this is the algorithm by which the common cold should be treated at this age. Naturally, with the approval of a doctor.

The opinion of Dr. Komarovsky

What to do if for a long time it is not possible to get rid of the "leak" from the nose? Just like most pediatricians, Dr. Komarovsky first of all insists on finding the cause of a runny nose. We already know that most often it can be a virus or an allergen. Accordingly, treatment should not be aimed at eliminating the symptoms, and not at eradicating what caused them.

In viral rhinitis, the mucus that forms in the nose is a natural environment that helps destroy harmful microbes and prevents them from penetrating further into the respiratory tract. The main task of parents is to maintain an air humidity level of at least 70% so that the mucus can maintain a viscous state. You can do this in any way possible by washing floors and dusting frequently, turning on a humidifier, opening windows, and providing plenty of drink. There is no need to be afraid of fresh air: if a runny nose is not accompanied by fever, in any weather and at any time of the year, the child can and should be taken for a walk. Of course, you need to walk away from other children so as not to contribute to the spread of infection.

The video tells why a child does not have a runny nose for a long time:

As prescribed by the doctor, you can use vasoconstrictor drops, while always observing the following rules:

• In accordance with the instructions, strictly observe the dosage (if it is written three times a day, then it should not be four or five simply because the drug temporarily clears the nose and brings relief);
• do not use the medicine for more than seven days;
• buy children's forms of the drug containing active ingredients in a lower concentration;
• refuse to use drops if side effects appear (increased heart rate, shortness of breath, itching in the nose, etc.).

If persistent rhinitis is allergic character, it is important to get rid of its source. If possible, it is necessary to change the situation to take the child to the dacha, to the village, to grandparents, to the sea. At this time, carry out a general cleaning of the apartment, since the most common cause of allergic rhinitis is household dust and animal hair. You will have to say a firm “no” to carpets, runners, down pillows and blankets, fleecy bedspreads, fabric lampshades and panels. If allergies often appear, the apartment will have to be equipped with a purifier and humidifier. If seasonal flowering causes allergies and it is not possible to take the child out for this period, you will have to use special sprays and antihistamines prescribed by the attending doctor.

ProLor.ru

Cough without fever

Some symptoms of a cold occur without fever and therefore sometimes do not cause much concern. In fact, they are very dangerous. For example, a prolonged cough without fever and a runny nose indicates the presence of a latent infection in the body. This symptom is extremely serious. Let's take a closer look at the causes of this phenomenon and ways to get rid of it.

Causes of cough without fever

If a person coughs for a long time, but does not have a fever, runny nose or sneezing, this may be a sign of such problems in the body:

1. Hidden inflammation or allergic reaction. In this case, a cough in the throat is accompanied by a runny nose and sneezing, but the temperature does not rise above 37.
2. Heart failure.
3. Venereal disease. With such a pathology, constant coughing is accompanied by skin irritations, a rash, and the temperature does not rise.
4. Pneumonia or SARS.

Sometimes people cough not because of a cold, but because of environmental pollution. Often this symptom, along with a runny nose, is observed in people working in a mine, metal processing or chemical plant. Very often, without a runny nose and fever, smokers cough for a long time. In allergy sufferers, this condition can be caused by feather pillows in which ticks start. To understand how to treat a prolonged cough without a runny nose and high fever, determine whether it is dry or wet.

Sukhoi

The main reasons that can cause a dry cough (sometimes with wheezing) without fever and a runny nose are:

1. Allergy to external irritants. The body is trying to free the respiratory system from irritating particles, such as dust, animal hair, household chemicals.
2. Ecology. If you live in an environmentally unfavorable place for a long time, then a barking cough with a runny nose without fever can be caused by environmental pollution. Long-term smoking aggravates the situation. All this sometimes leads to chronic diseases of the respiratory system.
3. Heart problems. In this situation, the condition worsens in the supine position. Sometimes this makes it hard to breathe.
4. Papillomatosis of the larynx. The larynx is covered with papillomas. The patient also feels discomfort in the throat, but there is no fever or runny nose, as with a cold.

Wet

The causes of such a cough (in the absence of fever and runny nose) may be the following problems:

1. Bronchitis, tracheitis, other similar diseases. As a rule, this symptom is a residual phenomenon of the transferred inflammation, its maximum duration is a month.
2. False croup. With this diagnosis, a person has a very strong cough without a runny nose and fever with painful attacks. Sputum is practically not coughed up.
3. Tuberculosis. A dangerous disease that often does not show any other symptoms. Runny nose and cough with sputum containing blood.
4. Cold. With SARS, a person is also tormented by a runny nose, even if the temperature remains normal.

paroxysmal

Such a cough in the absence of a runny nose and temperature is very dangerous. The man is suffocating, his throat hurts badly. This should never be tolerated or treated at home. It is urgent to consult a doctor who will determine what the symptoms of such attacks are. If you sometimes cough almost to the point of vomiting, the reasons for this may be:

• bronchial asthma;
• whooping cough;
• SARS;
• swelling in the lungs or bronchi;
• pneumonia.

Night

A dry cough at night can be a sign of an allergy to natural pillow fillers. But it is also a symptom of other dangerous diseases. It is necessary to try to understand what other signs are observed, for example, a runny nose or sneezing. If you have snot when you cough without fever at night, then this is either a cold or an allergy. Often people cough at night due to the wrong structure of the skeleton or internal organs, or inflammation of the nerve endings.

lingering

If there is no chill during a prolonged cough, then this does not mean at all that there is no danger. Constant coughing may indicate that the body for some reason does not respond to the virus with a high temperature. If it lasts for a very long time, you should definitely undergo a medical examination. The reasons for this condition may be:

• heart diseases;
• tuberculosis;
• allergy;
• pneumonia;
• SARS;
• complex form of bronchitis.

How to cure a cough

To cure a prolonged cough without fever, it is recommended to use medicines and folk recipes. If you prefer the first option, visit your doctor first to determine the cause of the problem and write a prescription for the appropriate medications. If it is a cold without a temperature, then tablets that thin the sputum will help. These include Mukaltin, Ambrobene, Bbromhexine. In more severe cases, antibiotics will be needed.

Wet cough at home is also treated with traditional medicine. A mixture of pureed cranberries and honey (in equal parts) will be very effective. It is also recommended to drink honey with lime blossom and birch buds in a ratio of 1: 1: 0.5 cups. The mixture is boiled in a water bath for a quarter of an hour, filtered and drunk three times a day in a small spoon. If you do not know how to stop a cough and how to treat this condition, rub your chest with badger fat, which has an anti-inflammatory effect. Be sure to drink plenty of warm liquids. Different approaches are used to treat cough in children and adults.

In adults

To cure a strong prolonged cough in an adult, it is necessary to determine the cause of the symptom and eliminate it. Dry cough at night is treated with antitussive drugs so that the person can rest normally. If it is associated with an upper respiratory tract infection, then you will need to take cold pills. The most important thing is to understand what to take to turn a constant dry cough into a wet one. To do this, prescribe drugs that stimulate expectoration:

1. Reflex. Drugs that are drunk with a protracted cold. They act on the areas of the brain responsible for the cough reflex. The most common example is the leaves of the coltsfoot, plantain. From medicines - Codeine.
2. Resorptive. Mucus thinners. Thanks to them, the lungs are intensively cleansed. Often these drugs are used for inhalation. Examples: ACC, Amtersol, Ascoril.
3. Proteolytic. Make mucus less viscous. These include Gelomirtol, thyme herb.
4. Mucoregulators. Sputum booster tablets used to treat colds in most cases. For example, Ambroxol, Bromhexine.

In children

A cough in a baby without a fever is the norm, if the child is not naughty and sleeps well, behaves very actively, does not complain about a stuffy nose or weakness. But if a barking, dry or wet cough does not go away, then you should consult a doctor. Pain when coughing and frequent long attacks, which sometimes lead to vomiting and do not allow the baby to sleep at 3 years old, indicate the presence of serious diseases in the body.

For the treatment of a prolonged cough without fever, a child is prescribed:

• means that soothe spasms (Joset, Ascoril, Kashnol);
• drugs for thinning sputum (thyme syrup, ACC, Bromhexine);
• expectorants (Stoptussin, Bronchicum, Plantain syrup).

If your child has a dry allergic cough without a runny nose, then the treatment should be comprehensive. In this situation, you need to drink antitussive drugs and visit an allergist who will identify the allergen and eliminate it. It can be household dust, pet hair. The specialist will prescribe antihistamines (anti-allergic), tell you what to drink for restorative therapy and increase immunity.

Video: Komarovsky on the treatment of cough in a child

Watch the video in which the famous pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky tells in detail how to treat a bad cough without a runny nose in an infant. The doctor's advice will help you understand why a cough occurs, what needs to be done so that the disease passes quickly. After watching the video below, you will no longer consider coughing as something frightening and incomprehensible, and when it appears, you can take the right measures without delay.

A beloved child is tormented - the whole family has no peace! You think to yourself: “It would be better if I had been ill a hundred times ...” A familiar picture? There is a way out of this situation. Famous on the Internet, Dr. Komarovsky gives advice on the treatment of dry cough in a child. His recommendations are given in this article.

Cough - what is it?

What is a cough? This is an important mechanism of the body, which contributes to the normal functioning of the respiratory system. The mucous membrane of our bronchi all the time produces a certain substance. It includes the necessary components, which in turn allow you to maintain the elasticity of tissues.

Dust that enters the respiratory system is absorbed. Komarovsky notes that it is this sputum that is the body's main fighter against infections that enter the child's body, along with inhaled dust. It also contains antimicrobial substances:

• lysozyme
• immunoglobulin

Komarovsky also draws attention to the following nuance. Sputum has certain physical and chemical properties: viscosity and density. In medical language, this is the rheology of sputum. It is logical to assume: if the mucus has an abnormal rheology, then it will not be able to perform its functions in full.

• glass of warm milk with honey
• half a glass of milk with soda
• tea with raspberry jam

Means to relieve coughing fits can be prepared with the child. In a glass of milk let him put three figs. Bring the prepared mixture to a boil, cool slightly. The medicine prepared by the baby himself will be drunk with great pleasure!

Banana puree will help eliminate cough. Add warm water to the prepared puree and serve to the child. The use of viburnum will also be effective. Tea is made from berries, a decoction is made from flowers. Kalina contains a large amount of vitamin C.

To alleviate the condition, you can do a light chest massage. Movements should be in the form of patting and tapping, which contribute to a better discharge of sputum. Make rubbing warm, apply compresses to the chest and back. Older children can be inhaled with saline or mineral water. All sorts of cough drops will also alleviate the condition.