Cough - one of the most common problems in children, and sometimes difficult to treat cough. Coughing is usually exposed to young children. Very often, the cough disturbs normal sleep
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child and prevents him to play and communicate with their peers. Cough brings a lot of inconvenience, not only children but also parents.
Causes of cough in children
Cough in children can be caused by a variety of causes, including infections (both viral and bacterial), irritation of the upper respiratory tract (caused by breathing cold air, smoke, inhalation of a foreign body), allergies, asthma and psychological factors (so-called "out of habit cough").
By far the most common cause of cough in children is considered to be a viral infection, as is usually the cough symptom of colds. The second most common cause of cough in children - asthma. Other causes of cough caused relatively rare.
The symptoms of cough in children
The nature of the child's cough and any related symptoms vary depending on the cause of cough. Thus, cough caused by cold, normally wet, sometimes with mucus. Frequent colds cough is worse at night, because when a child falls, the mucus from the back of the nose and mouth gets into the windpipe and interfere with normal breathing. This cough can persist for six weeks after the disappearance of all the other cold symptoms.
Cough asthmatic origin is worse at night and after exercise. Your child has wheezing and difficulty breathing, shortness of breath. Barking, hoarse cough may indicate that the child has croup (acute laryngitis
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or laryngotracheitis, spasmodic phenomena accompanied by stenosis of the larynx).
Sudden wheezing cough that occurs after an attack of breathlessness may indicate inhalation child a foreign object.
If a child has had a bad cold, which came after a long and exhausting bouts of barking whooping cough, maybe he is sick with whooping cough
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(acute infectious disease).
Children under twelve months of cough associated with shortness of breath can be caused by bronchiolitis (inflammation of the bronchioles acute, severe acute bronchitis). In adolescents and older children cough may develop into a habit.
When you need to see a doctor
We must show the child's doctor if:
- cough lasts longer than a week or more after the disappearance of the other symptoms of the common cold;
- whooping cough and sudden;
- cough interferes with the child to sleep and lead a normal life;
- the child having difficulty breathing (dyspnea);
- cough accompanied by high fever;
- during a coughing child's skin changes color, strong pale or turn blue.
In most cases, cough in children requires medical intervention, if not accompanied by other symptoms or disorders.
Diagnosis of cough in children
Generally, for the diagnosis of cough in children do not need any tests or examinations. The doctor will examine the child will write when cough or any other symptoms. Based on these data and diagnose.
In some cases, such as if the child had pneumonia
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Or there is a possibility that he could have swallowed or inhaled foreign object, the doctor prescribes chest x-ray. To detect infection prescribe a blood test.
Treatment of cough in children
If the cough is caused by a child's asthma, prescribe medication, depending on the nature and degree of symptoms and the age of the child.
Most often it occurs after cough and colds requires no specific treatment. In this case, most children do not require antibiotics, because the initial infection was caused by a virus, and antibiotics kill the bacteria. Most likely, this is caused by prolonged cough, irritation of the respiratory tract, rather than the current infection.
Cough medicines and expectorants (drugs that should help expectoration of mucus from the lungs and respiratory tract) is not particularly affect the cough. Steam inhalers and air humidifiers also have no effect on the cough and help in its treatment. In addition, a small child might accidentally swallow the solution inhaler (usually containing menthol or eucalyptus), or burn the respiratory tract.
Honey helps to reduce the severity and duration of cough. Please note that honey should not be given to children younger than one year because of the risk of infant botulism (a rare but dangerous form of food poisoning).
Typically catarrhal cough extends itself over time, regardless of treatment or lack thereof.
Prevention of cough in children
If the cough is caused by a child's asthma, it can be prevented with appropriate treatment.
You can minimize the risk of inhalation of foreign bodies, not allowing young children to eat nuts or play with small objects that can be inhaled. Unfortunately, cough caused by viral infection can not be prevented.
