Causes of cough in an infant
Most often (in 90% of cases) cough in children is a symptom of acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI). In this case, the infectious and inflammatory process can be localized in the upper (nose, nasopharynx, oropharynx) and in the lower respiratory tract (larynx, trachea, bronchi, lungs).
Another cause of cough in children may be inflammation of the ENT organs (nose, paranasal sinuses, pharynx), the presence of adenoids (an increase in the pharyngeal tonsil).
Cough is one of the most important clinical signs of bronchial asthma. In this disease, cough can be the equivalent of attacks of suffocation.
A sudden coughing in an infant may be a signal of inhaling a foreign body into the trachea and bronchi, which poses a serious threat to the child's life and requires immediate medical intervention.
Coughing in a child can also be caused by diseases not associated with the respiratory system. For example, it can occur in children with heart defects or gastrointestinal pathology.
The cause of cough development in infants can be a high concentration of harmful substances in the air (gas contamination, the presence of tobacco smoke), and too dry and overheated air in the room.
Among the more rare causes include psychogenic (reflex) cough, which occurs, for example, in the pathology of the external auditory canal (sulfur plugs) and the middle ear (with its inflammation).
The cause of dry cough, in which the amount of sputum is insignificant, is usually inflammation of the upper respiratory tract (pharynx, larynx, trachea). Such a cough can be intrusive and painful.
With inflammation of the trachea, a cough is coarse, dull (as in a barrel). A peculiar kind of dry cough - barking cough that occurs with inflammation of the larynx - laryngitis. A serious complication of this disease can be stenosis of the larynx, or a false croup - a sharp narrowing of the lumen of the upper respiratory tract due to the edema of the mucous membrane lining them. In this condition, the child becomes hard to breathe: the air hardly gets into the respiratory tract. Therefore, long-lasting sonorous barking cough, hoarseness of voice in the child should serve as an excuse for immediate contact with a doctor.
Wet cough becomes when sputum appears. More liquid sputum clears easier - and with a superficial cough, while thicker and more viscous require more effort; cough in this case becomes deeper. After spitting out, the attack of coughing usually stops, and after its accumulation begins again.
Sometimes with a cold the children begin to cough in the morning. These short coughs should not cause concern to parents: they arise because the mucus from the nose flows into the respiratory tract, located below.
At the very beginning of acute respiratory viral infection or acute bronchitis, cough is dry, but during the course of 2-3 days it gradually becomes wet, and the sick child begins to cough well - this course of the disease is natural, and recovery gradually begins. Any deterioration in the state of the child during the period when his coughing became wet should cause anxiety among the parents and serve as a reason for contacting the doctor in time to prevent the development of possible complications.
How does a cough develop in an infant?
The impact of any damaging factor (both infectious and non-infectious) on the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract causes acute inflammation. At the same time, the number and area of spread of cells that produce sputum significantly increases. Its quantity and viscosity increase, which causes a malfunction in the mobility of the mucus and a difficulty in isolating it. As a result, a cough develops, the physiological role of which consists in cleansing the respiratory tract from everything that accumulates in them.
Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract is always accompanied by a decrease in bronchial function, and then of the lungs. The organism of a sick child does not receive enough oxygen, which leads to disruption of many metabolic processes. The local immunological defense of the respiratory tract is reduced, and this is fraught with a protracted course of the inflammatory process and may contribute to its chronicization.
When a cough is dangerous for children:
- suddenly arising and unceasing;
- with wheezing, which can be heard at a distance;
- night, paroxysmal;
- with an admixture of blood;
- with sputum green;
- developed against the background of ARVI, and lasting more than 3-x weeks.
Seek immediate medical attention. An in-depth examination of the child is shown.
Urgent call of a doctor, even with the slightest signs of the disease, is necessary for all children up to a year, children with severe chronic illnesses, and also if the child has high fever (above 38 ° C) or shortness of breath.
How to treat a cough in an infant
Treatment of a disease accompanied by a cough in the child should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor. Therapy should be started at the first sign of the disease.
The regime of a sick child should be gentle, however, it is not necessary to significantly limit the motor activity of a small patient. Movements improve the cleansing of the bronchi from the accumulated mucus, accelerate the recovery. If the child wants to play - play with him together, of course it should not be overly active games, it is preferable to more quiet games. It is more useful to take a breast child more often on hands, very gently patting on a back. Massage for babies will also be a useful procedure.
The diet should be gentle. If the baby refuses to eat - do not force it, but offer light, but high-calorie food: jelly, jelly, warm milkshake, fruit puree. It does not matter if 2-3 days of baby eat less than usual. But you must drink a lot. The liquid improves the excretion of toxins from the body, facilitates the dilution and removal of sputum. Prepare your child's favorite drinks, juices, invite them to drink from a fun non-spill pot or through a straw, playing, water a baby.
The main methods of cough treatment in infants with ARVI are measures aimed at liquefaction and removal of sputum.
For a better escape of phlegm, you need to moisten the air in the room where the baby is. In the cold season in a room with central heating on the battery, you can put a wet towel or sheet. But it is better to use a special electric appliance - an air humidifier.
Now there is a huge selection of drugs that help reduce viscosity (mucolytic drugs) and improve expectoration (expectorants) of phlegm.
When coughing in children, which appeared on the background of acute respiratory infections, it is possible to recommend expectorants of vegetable origin: decoctions of mother-and-stepmother, ledum, elecampane (they are prepared in a water bath in accordance with the instructions), black radish juice with honey, plantain juice, anise fruit extract and thyme. This group includes preparations of thermopsis, althae, licorice, essential oils. Well-proven preparations from the leaves of ivy (PROSPAN, GEDELIKS). The effective beginning of the listed herbal remedies are alkaloids and saponins - substances that make the bronchial mucus more liquid, increase its amount, increase the reduction of bronchi and promote sphagnum expectoration.
But do not overestimate the importance and potential of herbal preparations. Their action is short-lived, frequent small doses are necessary, tk. an increase in a single dose causes nausea and vomiting. In addition, the drugs in this group can significantly increase the amount of sputum that small children can not self-otashljat, which leads to a significant disruption of the drainage function of the bronchi.
inhalation
In pediatric practice, in the complex treatment of diseases accompanied by cough, it is possible to combine different methods of drug delivery. So along with the use of tablets and syrups for a long time in the treatment of respiratory system inhalation is used. During inhalation, a direct action of the drug substance on the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, respiratory muscles and nerve endings, which contributes to liquefaction of sputum, a decrease in bronchial spasm, cessation of cough. Steam inhalations are the simplest and most effective method of treatment that can be done at home. Steam inhalations are effective only in diseases of the upper respiratory tract. So inhalation of a solution of sodium bicarbonate (drinking soda, 1 a liter of water 4 teaspoons) or alkaline mineral waters such as "Borjomi" will help with an unproductive, intrusive cough in children.
It is necessary to strictly observe the safety measures when carrying out inhalation, never leave the child unattended.
Massage for babies
In the complex treatment of cough in children at home, light chest massage can be recommended (for improving sputum removal, tapping, tapping movements are especially good) and reflexogenic zones (for example, the feet). The massage with vegetable balsam (DOCTOR MOM, BRONCHIKUM) will increase its effectiveness.
Prevention of cough in an infant
That the child less often was ill with catarrhal diseases it is necessary to temper. Begin the tempering from the first days of life. Air baths, water treatments will be very useful for the baby. Do not overheat the child, do not wear a lot of warm things on him. If the feet and palms of the crumbs are dry and warm - the clothes are chosen correctly. It is very effective daily dousing the baby's legs with cool water. In the summer it is useful to run barefoot on the grass, and in winter, soak the towel in salt water (1 tablespoon of salt per liter of warm water), squeeze it well and put it on the floor - let the baby walk along it, then rub the feet. Effects on the reflexogenic zones of the feet stimulate the immune system. At any time of the year, spend more time outdoors.
Never smoke in the presence of a child!
In the cold season, during outbreaks of viral infections, try not to visit crowded events. If someone in the family is sick - it is desirable to isolate the patient, be sure to give him a separate dish. If isolation is impossible, contact with the child should wear a gauze bandage.
The full nutrition of children up to a year, rich in vitamins, will strengthen the health of your child. In winter and spring, babies will have a good 2-3 monthly course of multivitamins with macro and microelements. Often ill children, as well as all children in the period of increased risk of ARVI can recommend the use of herbal products that strengthen the body's defenses.
In a special point it is worth highlighting the possibility of strengthening the immunity of the child with the help of drugs such as the domestic drug Derinat. This drug contains the minimum amount of chemicals, but it also very actively and quickly enough causes an increase in the body's production of its own interferons - killer cells, which inhibit the multiplication of pathogens, which are the most common cause of colds in children. Derinat is very simple to use - it is several times a day buried in the baby's spout, like ordinary drops; it is well tolerated and used in modern pediatrics for the prevention and treatment of babies from the first day of their life.