Hearing how your child coughs, before you start to worry and try to drown out a frightening symptom with all sorts of drugs, remember: chest cough in children appears when there is something in the body that causes it. Therefore, it is always necessary to fight not with a symptom, but with a disease that provokes it.
There are not so many cases when a cough is dangerous. Let's look at them, first understanding what kind of phenomenon they are.
What is a cough
Cough is a sharp exhalation with which the body gets rid of mucus. And mucus, in turn, is secreted in order to clear the bronchi and neutralize bacteria and viruses that cause inflammation. Used mucus is eliminated by coughing.
But what made her stand out? This is where the need to contact a pediatrician appears. Chest cough in children is not cyanide poisoning, with it it is quite possible to wait for the doctor to arrive anddiagnosis. Therefore, do not rush to treat a cough after listening to the advice of a friend. You are doing the child's body a disservice.
How to treat cough in children
In the home first-aid kit, you need to have effective and harmless cough remedies for children: Bromhexine, Muk altin, Lazolvan, ammonia-anise drops, Acetylcysteine. But! Do not try to immediately feed all this we alth to a coughing child. It may be enough just to humidify the air in the room to stop the tearing dry cough. Or maybe you need to remove a woolen blanket or flowers that cause allergies.
When a cough becomes dangerous
By the nature of the cough, you can determine the reasons that caused it. Listen, if the child is barking, dry and loud, then this is a symptom of inflammation of the larynx or trachea. And convulsive, reaching vomiting - a sign of whooping cough. Bronchial asthma is accompanied by cough against the background of wheezing. If there is blood in the sputum secreted when coughing, then this alarming symptom indicates the possibility of pulmonary tuberculosis. Remember, chest cough in children becomes dangerous if:
- he appeared suddenly and does not stop;
- occurs at night, attacks;
- accompanied by wheezing audible without a phonendoscope;
- blood comes out when coughing;
- cough has become protracted (lasts more than 3 weeks).
All this is an occasion for immediate medical attention and requires a thorough examination of the child by specialists.
Howhelp a child with a strong cough
If your baby suddenly coughs heavily while eating or playing, the most natural thing is for parents to try to make sure that a small foreign body has not got into his respiratory tract. Tap the child on the back, let him drink water. But if after this incident the child has more frequent colds, and even pneumonia, then be sure to conduct an examination to eliminate the risk of something getting stuck in the airways.
In other cases, during treatment, remember that not only drugs prescribed by a doctor can alleviate a painful chest cough in children, but also regular humidification of the air in the room, ventilation of the premises, and an increase in the amount of liquid that the child should drink. All this will help thin the sputum, make it easier to move away and, accordingly, the cough will become less frequent, more productive and completely harmless.
Be he althy!
