Protracted cough in a child without fever: how to treat? Cough in a child without fever - what to do and how to treat? How to treat a child's cough without fever.

Reading time: 11 minutes.

Cough without fever in children has an infectious and non-infectious nature. Parents need to know the reason for its appearance in order to cure the baby. A cough can be a symptom of dangerous diseases, so the baby should be shown to a doctor.

Wet cough with a cold

Causes of cough in the absence of fever in a child

A common cause of its appearance is acute respiratory infections, accompanied by a runny nose, headache, and weakness. Cough can be a companion to dangerous diseases and respiratory tract infections: bronchitis, pharyngitis, tracheitis. In this case, the child coughs with copious sputum production.

Other causes of cough in babies include:

  1. Acute ENT infections. The cause of cough is when mucus from the nose gets into the back of the throat. Attacks occur in the evening and at night.
  2. Tuberculosis. At the beginning of the disease, there may be no cough at all. In later stages it becomes productive with copious sputum production and lasts a month or more.
  3. Allergic reaction combined with infection. The most dangerous manifestation is bronchial asthma.
  4. Consequences of whooping cough. The baby has a paroxysmal cough at night. During an attack, he may begin to vomit.
  5. Worms. Coughing occurs when helminths are active. The child's body temperature does not increase.
  6. Contact with chemicals. Volatile substances enter the nasopharynx, have an irritating effect, and cause frequent coughing attacks.
  7. The presence of a foreign body in the nasopharynx or respiratory tract. Cough is a reaction to irritation.
  8. Low humidity. The room where the child is located should be ventilated as often as possible. Dry air causes the baby's mucous membranes to dry out. The cough in this case is a reflex.
  9. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The child coughs due to food debris getting into the respiratory tract.
  10. Smoke, gas pollution in the room.

A rare cause of cough is pathology of the middle ear (the presence of an inflammatory process) and cerumen plugs. In this situation, the cough is psychogenic in nature.


Consultation with a pediatrician is required

Cough without fever: is there a health risk?

A severe hacking dry cough in a child without fever can be a harbinger of serious diseases: atrophic pharyngitis, tuberculous bronchoadenitis, early stages of tuberculosis, pulmonary echinococcosis.

Atrophic pharyngitis, if not treated on time, spreads to the larynx.?

The child’s voice disappears or becomes hoarse. A severe inflammatory process leads to swelling of the vocal cords, difficulty breathing, and laryngeal stenosis. A cough may be a manifestation of a tuberculosis infection. To exclude it, fluorography should be done.

Treatment methods for children's cough

You can overcome a child’s cough with the help of medications, physiotherapy, compresses, and inhalations. An important link in the recovery process is adherence to the regimen and following the doctor’s recommendations.

Young parents are concerned about the question: if a child’s cough (without fever) does not go away for a long time, how to treat it and how to help the baby. Treatment for cough should be accompanied by frequent, heavy drinking. It is recommended to give your baby tea, compote, fruit juice with a high content of vitamins. Dr. Komarovsky recommends: you can overcome a child’s cough with the help of decoctions of nettle leaves, plantain, and thyme. It is important that plants do not cause allergies.


Medicines only as prescribed by a doctor
  1. The drink can be alkaline: milk with soda or mineral water. You can add butter or honey to the milk.
  2. Frequent gargling with a soda solution helps eliminate germs and reduce inflammation. You can add a few drops of iodine to the solution.
  3. Wool products create a warming effect, reducing the number of attacks. The folk method of inhaling steam over potatoes is an excellent remedy for helping to remove sputum.

Rules for choosing cough medicines

Treatment with medications is important when a child has problems sleeping, vomiting, shortness of breath, and severe weakness. Antitussives are prescribed if the cough is dry, obsessive, painful, painful, disrupting sleep and appetite. Expectorants are recommended for unproductive, unobtrusive coughs in which the child feels well. Sleep and appetite are not disturbed. Mucolytic agents are effective if the cough is accompanied by thick, viscous sputum or there are problems with its discharge.


Natural based syrups for children

How to treat a wet cough in a child?

The main difference between a wet cough and a dry cough is that in the first case, during the process of coughing, the child produces phlegm. There is especially a lot of it at night, when the child is sleeping. Hoarseness of voice is noted in the morning hours. The goal of treatment is to stimulate the release of mucus from the lungs. A wet cough is not always an indicator of serious health problems. A child may cough 10-15 times a day, especially if he inhales debris.

You should consult a doctor if your child’s condition worsens:

  • the coughing attack is prolonged or does not stop;
  • body temperature increased;
  • for more than three days the temperature does not fall below 38 degrees;
  • cough lasts longer than 3 weeks;
  • there is mucus or blood in the sputum;
  • decreased appetite;
  • the baby complains of chest pain;
  • wheezing is heard when inhaling or exhaling;
  • shortness of breath appears, breathing becomes difficult;
  • the child is vomiting.

If a baby under the age of one year has a cough, you should not panic. The muscles of the stomach and esophagus are underdeveloped during this period, which is why the cough appears reflexively. Another cause of coughing is teething. The cough in this case is temporary.


Selection of drugs - algorithm

You can overcome a wet cough in a child if parents follow several rules:

  • provide constant care and necessary conditions for a sick child;
  • follow a treatment regimen that includes taking medicines, syrups, and inhalations;
  • folk remedies are used in the form of steaming the feet, compresses, herbal mixtures).

Drug treatment of a wet cough in a child involves taking mucolytic and expectorant drugs. Medicines of the first group reduce the viscosity of sputum. Drugs of the second group promote the movement of mucus through the respiratory tract.

Effective and popular cough medicines:

  • elixir “Codelac Broncho with thyme”;
  • syrups "Ambroxol", "Fluditek";
  • ACC drug in tablets or granules;
  • Joset syrup (suitable for newborns);
  • Doctor Mom syrup (indicated for children over 3 years old).

☝Parents should remember that antitussive drugs are not used to treat wet cough. Their purpose is to suppress the signs and symptoms of dry cough.

Cough inhalation solutions

Inhalations are used to treat colds in children and adults. The method of treating dry and wet cough using inhalation is different, its effectiveness and efficiency has been tested for years. During the procedure, the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract are irrigated. The inhaler is filled with special medicinal solutions.


Cough inhalation

Compliance with the rules of the procedure increases its effectiveness several times:

  1. Inhalation should not be done immediately after meals or on an empty stomach. It is carried out an hour after eating.
  2. The procedure takes 10 minutes. Inhalation is recommended to be done three times a day.
  3. To maximize the benefits of inhalation, you should take a deep breath several times, hold your breath, then exhale.

An alternative medicine is mineral water.

The solution for inhalation is sold ready-made. It must be prepared following the instructions. Effective drugs recommended for the treatment of cough in children:

  • "Lazolvan";
  • "ACC Inject";
  • "Pertusin";
  • "Mukaltin."

At home, you can resort to steam inhalation. Add a couple of drops of essential oil or a special medicine to boiling water.

Inhalations can cause harm to the child’s body if the baby has an individual intolerance to the medicinal components of the solution, with a tendency to bleeding, cardiovascular pathologies, respiratory failure, and a temperature above 37.5 ° C.

Inhalation is indicated for children over 2 years of age, when they are able to understand and follow parental instructions.

For inhalations used in the treatment of dry cough, the following drugs are used:

  • "Berodual";
  • "Berotek";
  • "Salgim";
  • "Troventa";
  • "Ambrobene".

For wet cough, expectorant medications are used for inhalation:

  • "Fluimucil";
  • "Lazolvan";
  • "Ambrobene";
  • "Sinupret";
  • "Mukaltin";
  • "Pertussin."

Non-carbonated mineral water is added to the solution. To relieve inflammation in the lungs and bronchi, it is recommended to use Rotokan, Propolis, Eucalyptus, Malavit, Tonzilgon N.

☝After each procedure, the inhaler is thoroughly washed. Solutions are warmed to room temperature before use.


Cough medicines

Folk remedies in the treatment of children's cough

It is possible to overcome a child’s cough at home by turning to traditional medicine methods.

  • Effective remedies are compotes and teas made from the herbs of chamomile, elderberry, coltsfoot, and cranberry. A chest mixture of licorice and marshmallow roots quickly and effectively helps get rid of a barking cough.
  • Children who do not have problems with the gastrointestinal tract should be given a product based on milk, honey and black radish. The core of the fruit is cut out and honey is added to the cavity. The resulting nectar is poured into a clean container, and heated milk is added there. The product is taken in a course of up to 10 days, 1 tsp. 3-4 times a day.
  • Honey cake is suitable for treating dry cough in children. The product is a compress of honey with the addition of other ingredients: flour, mustard, salt or potatoes. 5 procedures are enough for the cough to go away. The simplest recipe is flatbread with flour and honey. To prepare it, you need to mix 2 tsp. warm honey with flour. You should get a viscous mass. It is wrapped in cloth and placed on the baby's chest in the subclavian area. It is necessary to ensure that the compress does not touch the cardiac zone.
  • A cabbage compress with honey for coughs is quick and easy to prepare. Fresh cabbage leaves are immersed entirely in hot water for a couple of minutes. During this time they become soft. A layer of melted honey is placed on the sheet. The leaves should be placed on the baby's chest. If the cough is severe, it is recommended to apply one sheet on the back and chest, then place a plastic bag on top and wrap a warm scarf around your back. The compress should remain on all night. In the morning, the cabbage leaves are removed, and the skin at the compress site is wiped with warm water. If your child coughs a lot, you can apply a compress during the day. The course of treatment lasts from 3 to 7 days. Honey can cause allergies, so you should treat this type of treatment with caution.
  • Banana is very useful and effective in treating cough in babies. The active components contained in the fruit have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and expectorant effects. Treatment with banana is effective for dry and wet coughs, allergies, asthma, and bronchitis. The therapeutic effect is noticeable 10-15 minutes after taking the medicine. To prepare a healthy and tasty cough remedy, you need 1 banana and 1 dessert spoon of honey. The fruit is ground or softened in a blender, honey is added to the mixture, and the whole mixture is heated in a water bath for 10-15 minutes. The prepared mixture should darken. The prepared medicine must be eaten during the day, 1 teaspoon.
  • Onions with honey are an effective recipe for treating children's cough. Chop a large onion, add honey and a spoonful of sugar on top. Let the mixture brew for 2-3 hours, then strain. The juice should be given to the baby three times a day, 1 teaspoon.
  • Plantain decoction is good for long-term coughs. Pour boiling water over the crushed leaves, leave for an hour, strain. Give the baby 1 tsp of tea. during the day.

Warming compresses as a remedy for coughing

Compresses are effective for coughs because they warm the bronchi and dilate blood vessels.?

This method of treatment cannot be considered as the main one. It is appropriate to use compresses in a complex of rehabilitation measures when the acute period of the disease has passed. If a child under one year old has a cough, a warm compress is contraindicated. The same applies to cases when the baby has a high fever or a cold in the acute phase. The therapeutic effect of the procedure is achieved through the release of antibodies that fight the disease. You can make compresses from any product that can give off heat. The easiest way is a potato-based compress. To prepare it, boil the fruits together with the peel, grind, put in a plastic bag, add olive or sunflower oil. Wrap the package in a towel and place it on the chest of the sick baby.


Honey-ginger compress

Some parents use an alcohol-based heat compress. It should not be used if the skin is affected by a fungal infection, ringworm, or is damaged.

Consequences and complications of improper treatment

Cough must be treated early, as there is a risk that the infection will enter the trachea and bronchi. From this moment, abundant formation of viscous sputum begins. Normally, it should come out with a cough, but the mucus settles on the mucous membranes and the lumens of the bronchial tree gradually narrow. As a result, the cough becomes chronic.

Impaired pulmonary ventilation causes bacteria to multiply rapidly, leading to a pulmonary abscess.?

A cough can be cured in 10 days if you follow the doctor’s recommendations: constantly take medications, create favorable microclimate conditions in the room. If the child does not have a temperature, he can be bathed and taken outside.

Various cold symptoms often occur in many children, but parents need to understand: a cough is not always associated only with ARVI. You can cough due to any health problem, and before taking medication, you need to accurately determine the cause of the disease.

How to treat a child's cough

The body has the ability to cleanse the respiratory system on its own. Coughing reflexively is an effective way to get rid of foreign bodies, dust, and accumulated mucus. However, this is often a sign of a disease: ARVI, influenza, otitis media, bronchitis. Breastfed babies often cough and sneeze when allergic reactions occur.

Pediatricians prescribe treatment for cough in children only after determining its nature. If the mucus leaves, it is a wet (moist) version of the disease, but if not, it is dry. In addition, you should consider how long the baby has been sick. If less than 3 weeks, this is an acute symptom, but if longer, it is chronic. It also matters when attacks occur more often - during the day or at night.

If a child has a prolonged cough without fever, the doctor decides how to treat this symptom. Therapy will be more effective if you immediately exclude the negative effects of dry air, irritating odors, indoor plants, and mold on the baby’s breathing. The goal of treatment is to transform the dry type of the disease into a wet one, and then activate the discharge of liquefied sputum.

Seizures can be stopped with medications of two opposite groups in their action:

1) expectorants;

2) antitussives.

For one-year-old infants, medications are available in the form of sweetish syrups, while older children are prescribed tablets. For colds and acute respiratory viral infections, a child’s severe cough without fever goes away faster if inhalations are used, thanks to which the medicines penetrate deep into the respiratory system. Try rubbing the chest with warming ointments, massage, hot foot baths, and drinking plenty of fluids.

Wet

Doctors call this symptom productive, since during this period sputum is intensively excreted. A wet cough in a child without fever (along with a runny nose, red throat) is a common occurrence with colds and inflammation of the respiratory tract. However, there is no need to rush to give your baby antiviral drugs. If the symptom does not disappear for more than a month, it is necessary to exclude the early stage of tuberculosis.

Sometimes a wet type of illness, or more precisely, coughing with the urge to vomit, is a symptom of reflux esophagitis, when food masses are thrown from the stomach into the respiratory tract. This symptom is treated completely differently. In addition, a cough with sputum without fever in a child also occurs for reasons such as allergies and asthma.

Dry without temperature

This symptom is considered unproductive, since the airways are not cleared of mucus. A persistent dry cough in a child can be caused by foreign bodies, allergens, or infection. Young children experience frequent attacks with “barking” sounds, the cause of which is swelling of the larynx. A barking cough, accompanied by chest pain, intensifies at night, as sputum accumulates in larger quantities than during the day. However, in infants, barking is a rare reaction to dust.

If a child has a dry cough without fever, the mother does not always know how to treat this type of illness. You need to be careful with antitussive drugs: the pediatrician should prescribe the medicine taking into account the baby’s age - self-medication is dangerous. Before meeting with the doctor, in order to at least partially relieve the ongoing attack, you can give warm tea or milk with honey, butter, or raspberry jam.

Prolonged without fever

A faster relief from the disease occurs if the children's room is often ventilated and the air in it is humidified. When a child has a prolonged cough without fever, it is useful to do inhalations and massage. You should not resort to codeine tablets, which are too aggressive for the child's body. If you are thinking about what to give your child for a cough, pediatricians recommend using the safe Panavir Inlight spray.

Treatment of cough with folk remedies

They have almost no side effects. In addition, folk remedies for coughs for children are gentle. However, they should be used in consultation with a pediatrician. When a child has a frequent cough without fever, how to treat it if you use alternative medicine methods? The following recipes are popular:

  1. Rub your back, chest, feet with badger or goose fat.
  2. Add 1 tbsp to 1 liter of boiled milk or water. spoon of pine (spruce) buds, cover, leave for 1 hour. Give the baby a little water every hour.
  3. Take equal amounts of liquid honey, soft butter and grind with two chicken yolks. Give 4-5 times daily.

Cough medicines for children

Antibiotics should only be given if a bacterial (not viral!) infection is detected. Many effective cough medicines for children are made from natural raw materials. For the dry type of the disease, the following drugs are effective:

  • Bronholitin;
  • Sinecode;
  • Linkas;
  • Dr. MOM;
  • Tusuprex;
  • Stoptussin;
  • Libexin.

The following can help cure the wet version of the symptom:

  • Ambroxol;
  • Bromhexine;
  • Mukaltin.

Any discomfort causes concern among parents. If a child develops a dry cough, but without a fever, not all adults understand what factor influenced the problem. Is it a cold, a severe viral infection or allergy symptoms? It's difficult to figure it out.

Medical advice will help parents determine why their baby is coughing. Pay attention to the problem: coughing is often a sign of dangerous diseases.

Possible reasons for the appearance

Unpleasant symptoms occur under the influence of various factors. Among them: colds, allergic reactions, inhalation of a foreign object.

Common reasons:

  • penetration of infection into the upper respiratory tract. Dangerous diseases - whooping cough, laryngitis, pharyngitis. The baby tries to clear his throat, turns red, and his body tenses. With frequent attacks, muscles ache due to overexertion;
  • physiological cough. Sometimes children up to a year after waking up try to clear their throat. If the baby is calm, there are no whims, anxiety, or fever, then there is no need to worry. The airways are simply cleared of natural mucus that has accumulated overnight;
  • problems with the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Gastroesophageal reflux is the name of this unpleasant condition. Food mixed with acidic gastric juice is thrown back into the esophagus, “burns” the walls, and provokes a long-lasting coughing attack.

Doctors also identify other provoking factors:

Pay attention! With acute respiratory viral infections and influenza, attacks of dry cough are observed during a certain period, but in most young patients the temperature rises at the same time. If the temperature is almost normal, and test results show the presence of a virus, it means that the body is so weak that it does not fight infection well.

Types of dry cough

Symptoms vary in nature, duration, and severity of the process. During your visit to the otolaryngologist, give the doctor as much information as possible about your child's severe dry cough.

Severity:

  • coughing;
  • light;
  • medium-heavy.

Character:

  • throat;
  • barking;
  • whistling;
  • suffocating.

Process duration:

  • spicy. The baby has trouble coughing for three weeks;
  • subacute Symptoms of varying degrees appear up to two months;
  • chronic. The problem does not disappear after 8 weeks or more.

Duration:

  • constant. Symptoms appear periodically;
  • episodic. The cough is short-lived and occurs infrequently.

The child tries to clear his throat at a certain time of day:

  • only after waking up;
  • In the evening;
  • throughout the day.

Sign of dangerous diseases

The child tries to clear his throat, but instead of phlegm, only wheezing comes out of his throat, is a strange whistle heard? Contact your ENT doctor or pulmonologist without delay: a dry cough often signals the development of pathological processes in the lungs, bronchi, and larynx.

A barking cough accompanies several types of diseases:

  • laryngitis, pharyngitis are characterized by severe inflammation of the throat area, larynx;
  • false croup is dangerous due to swelling of the vocal cords and larynx;
  • whooping cough occurs infrequently, but the course is severe; when trying to clear the throat, the child strains greatly, the voice becomes hoarse;
  • diphtheria. A dangerous pathology is rarely diagnosed due to mandatory vaccination. A contagious disease requires immediate treatment: with diphtheria, dangerous complications are possible.

False croup

Among the above pathologies of the ENT organs, swelling of the larynx and throat is especially dangerous.

What's happening:

  • with false croup, the tissues swell, the lumen narrows for air to enter;
  • The result is that the baby suffocates.

How to proceed:

  • Immediate consultation with a doctor is required: parents should call an ambulance;
  • the doctor will assess the condition of the little patient and relieve dangerous symptoms with the help of potent drugs;
  • Most often, successful therapy and control of attacks accompanied by swelling require hospital treatment and the introduction of a special serum.

Don't start the problem Visit a pediatric otolaryngologist (ENT doctor) if your son or daughter exhibits the following symptoms:

  • loss of voice/hissing when speaking;
  • barking cough, deep, paroxysmal;
  • inhalation is accompanied by a whistle;
  • the patient is pale and does not feel well;
  • at night the baby tries to clear his throat, attacks are often accompanied by suffocation;
  • Many children have a fever.

Pay attention! Most often, false croup is diagnosed in children under five years of age. The reason is the structural features of the larynx. Viruses easily penetrate tissues and cause swelling. In older children, pathology is diagnosed less frequently.

Read here about how scarlet fever manifests itself in children and how to treat it.

Medicines and home remedies

Therapy depends on the results of the tests, finding out the reason why your son or daughter is coughing. In addition to antiviral and antibacterial drugs (if necessary), physiotherapy, medicinal syrups/lozenges, and folk remedies will help.

Home remedies that are good for relieving unpleasant symptoms include:

  • warm tea with milk is a good cure for dry cough;
  • herbal infusions (linden blossom, chamomile + coltsfoot, clover, marshmallow leaves);
  • milk + carrot juice (5:1). Drink the product morning and evening;
  • eucalyptus tincture. Half a glass of warm water + ½ tsp. rinses);
  • milk + butter + honey. Drink the product warm twice a day;
  • olive oil + honey (1:1). Dissolve the mass as much as possible, then remove it from the mouth. You can drink the warm mixture, 1 tsp. twice a day;
  • banana + warm water. Prepare the puree, heat it slightly, give it to the child three times a day;
  • rinsing with saline solution (take a teaspoon of sea/table salt for a glass of boiled water). Frequency: twice a day.

Other treatments:

  • inhalation. Herbal decoctions and medications are added to the water. The procedure is recommended in the absence of high temperature. Frequency – 3–4 times a day, in severe cases – up to 8 times;
  • Gerbion syrup is effective for dry cough. Read the instructions for use carefully and consult your doctor;
  • dry heat for the throat, rubbing. Ointments Doctor Mom, Travesil, rendered pork fat are effective;
  • lozenges and dry cough syrup. The products are suitable for older children. The pharmacy has many proven drugs: Angisept, Strepsils, Travesil, Doctor Mom;
  • in severe cases, the otolaryngologist will prescribe antitussive medications. Potent compounds are recommended for deep, paroxysmal coughs that exhaust a small patient. Tablets for dry cough are effective: Sinekod, Glaunvent, Tusuprex;
  • If it is difficult to cough up, after a week of using homemade preparations do not help, the doctor will prescribe synthetic drugs that dilute sputum. Do not buy medications on your own initiative: for some diseases, it is better to avoid these compounds. Popular drugs: ACC, Ambrobene, Bromhexine, Mucodin;
  • if children often cough due to acid entering the esophagus, visit a gastroenterologist; if you suspect allergic reactions, visit an allergist. In case of helminthic infestations, the help of a pediatrician or gastroenterologist is required.

Important! The famous doctor Komarovsky believes that for problems of the upper respiratory tract during ARVI, it is undesirable to use mucolytics (expectorants). Taking medications will only increase the production of a large volume of sputum, and the small patient will cough harder and longer.

If a child inhales a foreign body and coughs

  • act clearly, without panic;
  • put the baby on your knee: the body and head should hang down;
  • open your mouth, gently but firmly tap between your shoulder blades, trying to push out the foreign body;
  • sliding movements, direction – from top to bottom;
  • stuck crumbs, dust bunnies usually fall out, the attack of suffocation passes, the baby no longer coughs;
  • be sure to show the victim to an ENT doctor: even in the absence of visible symptoms, damage to the respiratory tract is possible;
  • Don’t delay your visit to the doctor, put everything aside: this way you will preserve your child’s health.

An “unreasonable” cough in children against a background of normal temperature never occurs without good reason. The exception is physiological morning coughing. Contact your pediatrician for help. The pediatrician will examine the little patient and refer him for consultation to a specialist. After proper treatment, the unpleasant symptoms will disappear.

Medical video - reference book. Folk remedies for dry cough:

Coughing is a natural reflex response to a foreign object entering the respiratory tract. A similar object is often sputum (mucous exudate). A similar phenomenon may develop when the mucous membranes of the lower and upper respiratory tract dry out.

Children are most susceptible to developing this symptom, since they more often suffer from acute respiratory diseases in various variations of this condition. What do you need to know about the treatment of such a complex manifestation?

How to treat a child’s cough without fever - basic methods

In treatment, preference is given to two main methods of therapy:

  • Taking specialized pharmaceuticals.
  • Inhalations.

Additional methods include traditional therapy (herbal medicine), as well as physiotherapy.

Briefly about the groups of drugs for treatment

In the treatment of both dry and wet coughs, the following groups of pharmaceuticals are used:

Drug categoryCharacteristic
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

They are used to relieve the inflammatory process localized in the upper or lower respiratory tract. They are prescribed exclusively by a doctor, since they blur the clinical picture and change the nature of the course of the disease, causing imaginary well-being.

Ibuprofen, Nurofen and others are suitable.

Expectorants

They promote rapid discharge of sputum of any nature, as they strengthen the cough reflex and contribute to irritation of the epithelium of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract.

These are ACC, Ambrohexal, etc.

Mucolytics

They have a similar effect to expectorants, but this is only at first glance. In fact, mucolytics, unlike “related” drugs, not only stimulate the rapid evacuation of mucous exudate, but also dilute the sputum, helping it to pass away more easily.

This includes Mucaltin, Bromhexine, etc.

Drugs for stopping the reflex at a generalized level

Inhibits the cough center of the brain.

Persistent cough

Prolonged cough is observed in acute respiratory diseases of a protracted, chronic nature:

  • tracheitis,
  • laryngitis,
  • bronchitis,
  • pharyngitis,
  • rhinitis,
  • sinusitis.

Also, a reflex of a long-term nature is noted in case of an allergic nature of the lesion.

Complex treatment is required with the use of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, expectorants and mucolytics (in the wet form), depressants in the dry form. Allergies can be treated with antihistamines and bronchodilators.

Residual cough after illness

It is observed as a result of bronchitis and other acute respiratory diseases, including pneumonia. The painful manifestation is characterized by a long, weak, almost sluggish course. The cough is non-productive and has a temporary, paroxysmal nature.

Treatment is symptomatic. The underlying disease is treated with anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and antibiotics. The symptom is relieved with depressants.

Barking cough

Laryngitis is the most painful disease. It is typical for him to develop a barking cough of a constant nature. A dry, barking cough is the hallmark of laryngitis. It can occur with a runny nose or without fever and snot.

Scheme: Laryngitis in a child

It is treated by taking drugs that depress the cough center and drugs to reduce the sensitivity of peripheral receptors.

The child has inhaled or swallowed a foreign body

In case of acute asphyxia, first aid is required. It is necessary to grab the child from behind and tilt him forward. Fix one hand behind your back, clench the other into a fist and place it in the epigastric region. Rhythmically and sharply compress the chest and diaphragm area repeatedly. This will help.

If a foreign body is in the respiratory tract for a long time, inflammation forms. The result is a prolonged, painful cough with an increase in body temperature. X-rays and bronchoscopy (for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes) are mandatory.

Briefly about treatment methods for children of different ages

Children under one year old

Gerbion syrup for dry cough

It is recommended to take safe medications and perform safe inhalations (see below). Appointed:

  • Gerbion,
  • Ambrohexal,
  • Ambrobene,
  • Gedelix,
  • Bronchicum,
  • Lazolvan
  • and other medications.

How to treat a cough with a runny nose in an infant without fever?

In addition to these drugs, passive steam inhalations are indicated. Hot water is poured into a bathtub or basin and the child is allowed to breathe the steam for 5 minutes. This is an effective method.

Children from one to three years old

Let’s say you take the same medications plus Codelac and Sinecoda. Additionally, antibiotics are often prescribed.

Schoolchildren, teenagers

There are no restrictions on the use of drugs by schoolchildren and adolescents aged 6-12 years. You can take all of the above medications. Specific names are selected only by the doctor. Additionally, inhalations (traditional treatment methods) are indicated.

Depending on the type of cough, it is necessary to take medications for its dry or wet form, respectively.

Traditional methods of treating cough without fever - recipes

There is no talk of any phytotherapeutic preparations. There is a high risk of developing allergic reactions.

Therefore, preference is given to the safest methods.

Inhalations with soda

  • A teaspoon of soda.
  • A glass of water.

Dissolve sodium salt in boiling water and stir. Breathe steam for 3-5 minutes.

Inhalations with salt

  • A teaspoon of soda.
  • A teaspoon of salt.
  • A glass of boiling water.

Mix the ingredients. Breathe for 5-7 minutes.

Inhalations with chamomile

They help moisturize the mucous membrane and relieve inflammation. Facilitate the reflex and help thin the mucus. Take:

  • A teaspoon of crushed chamomile flowers.
  • A glass of boiling water.

Breathe over the container for 5-7 minutes.

These folk remedies are universal and help cope with coughs of any type (dry and wet). However, in case of an allergic form they are useless. This form of reflex requires drug treatment.

When should you consult a doctor?

Anyway. As soon as a cough begins, the child should be consulted by a pediatrician. Next, the doctor will decide who needs to be consulted and how to treat the young patient.

Doctor Komarovsky's opinion

Dr. Komarovsky points out that cough is only a manifestation. It is not he who needs to be treated, but the underlying disease. In addition, the reflex is not always negative. It often has a positive meaning because it helps remove disease-causing organisms from the human body.

A wet cough in children is a protective reaction of the body to the presence in the bronchi and lungs mucus, phlegm or pus. Doctors consider this symptom much preferable to dry.

But due to poorly developed, incompletely formed respiratory muscles, children often cannot cope with a wet cough on their own, without medical help. About how to treat a wet cough in a child, we will tell you in the article.

Characteristics of the disease

In medicine, a wet cough is also called productive.

It helps remove foreign mucus from the respiratory tract, which irritates cough receptors.

This kind of cough is not an independent disease. This is a symptom characteristic of respiratory diseases.

It is a spasmodic sharp exhalation, accompanied by a reflex contraction of the corresponding respiratory muscles. In the case of a wet cough, this process ends with the release of a mucous substance (sputum).

Causes

The main cause of a wet cough is accumulation of foreign mucus in the respiratory tract. It can form as a result of:

  1. Diseases caused by viruses (ARVI or) and bacteria.
  2. to environmental irritants.
  3. Poor air condition.
  4. A common runny nose (in this case, mucus flows down the back wall of the nasopharynx, irritating the cough receptors).
  5. An unbalanced diet combined with improper drinking regimen, since the formation of mucus in the body is promoted by whole milk, baked goods and low consumption of clean water.

Also, a wet cough can appear as a result of pathology of the cardiovascular system, which is closely related to respiratory function.

What diseases can be accompanied?

Large amount of mucous substance formed in the lungs and bronchi during the following diseases:

  • ARVI and influenza;
  • pleurisy and;
  • and tracheitis;
  • bronchiectasis;
  • tuberculosis;
  • cystic fibrosis;
  • oncological diseases of the respiratory system;
  • pathologies of the heart muscle.

Accurate diagnosis A disease that causes cough with sputum production can only be diagnosed by a pediatrician after a general examination and the necessary studies.

Associated symptoms

A wet cough in viral and infectious diseases is usually accompanied by fever and fever.

If they last longer than three days, then this is considered a dangerous symptom, in which case it is necessary to call a doctor.

Also Parents should be alert to the following signs for wet cough:

If a wet cough is accompanied by at least one of the listed symptoms, then this is a serious reason to consult a pediatrician for help.

With and without fever

Most infectious diseases affecting the respiratory tract are accompanied by fever. A wet cough usually develops two to three days after the onset of illness, continuing after the temperature normalizes.

If a wet cough is accompanied by an elevated temperature for more than three days, then this most likely indicates a complicated course of the disease - pneumonia, etc. In this case, the sputum takes on a light brown color.

Wet cough without temperature rise typical for:

  • bronchial asthma and allergic reactions (sputum here can be clear and thick);
  • heart failure and gastrointestinal pathologies (slight separation of white or clear mucus);
  • chronic bronchitis or tracheitis (profuse discharge of foamy or transparent substance).

Tuberculosis most often accompanied not only by a wet cough, but also by a stable temperature between 37 and 38 degrees, rising in the evening.

The main sign that parents of a child with a wet cough should monitor is his general health.

Lethargy, weakness, lack of appetite and causeless whims are considered serious reasons for concern. When a cough leads to recovery, the baby strives to move, is active and can eat.

Why is it dangerous?

In children, the muscles responsible for the cough reflex are not fully formed. For this reason, the child may Can't cope with coughing up all the phlegm.

As a result, congestion is likely to develop in the lungs and bronchi. This can serve as a prerequisite for pneumonia, bronchiectasis, pleurisy and other complications.

A wet cough in children must be treated by first identifying the cause of its occurrence.

Diagnostics

The main task of a pediatrician when examining a child with a wet cough is exclusion of such serious diseases as tuberculosis, oncology etc. For this, the doctor:

After analyzing the primary results, the doctor may refer you to fluorography or fluoroscopy, and also ask for a sputum test. When diagnosing the causes of a wet cough, it is standard to take a cardiogram to exclude pathologies of the heart muscle.

In the absence of infectious causes of a wet cough, the pediatrician refers the patient to an allergist or gastroenterologist.

Treatment

When treating diseases in children that are accompanied by a wet cough, it is necessary to avoid dehydration, signs of which include rare urination (less than once every three hours) and a dry tongue.

To do this, children need to be offered water, compote, juice and other drinks, non-allergenic, with a temperature of 36-37 degrees, that is, close to body temperature.

Drugs

All medications, prescribed for cough, are divided into:

  • cough suppressants that suppress the cough reflex;
  • expectorants - for maximum removal of mucous substance from the respiratory system.

For wet coughs, cough suppressants are usually not prescribed because they will lead to stagnation of sputum in the respiratory tract.

Expectorants drugs, in turn, are divided into:

  • resorptive, promoting the production of sputum by the bronchi and lungs;
  • reflex, strengthening the cough reflex;
  • mucolytics, thinning sputum, facilitating its removal.

In most cases, children are prescribed drugs with mucolytic influence.

Newborns

In the first month of life, a wet cough can be treated only in hospital settings, since the muscles of the respiratory system cannot cope with a large volume of sputum.

In this case, the baby may be connected to an oxygen machine and given intramuscular injections of an antibiotic (ceftriaxone).

To avoid dehydration, the baby is given a saline drip.

Up to two years

At this age, the safest and most effective mucolytic drug is "Gedelix" based on ivy extract. It is given orally, diluted in water, according to the instructions.

Ointment can also relieve the baby's condition "Eucalyptus" from Dr. Theis. Rub the ointment on the chest, the area between the shoulder blades, calves and feet.

From 2 to 6 years

For this period of a baby’s life, the choice of medications to thin sputum is somewhat larger:

  • syrup "Doctor MOM" and an ointment of the same name based on 11 healing components;
  • medicine with licorice root, which can be ordered in the production department of the pharmacy;
  • "Bronchicum C" in the form of syrup;
  • "Linkas" and other products based on herbal ingredients.

From 6 to 12

Most Popular the following drugs:

  • mucaltin with marshmallow extract in the form of tablets, which are diluted in a tablespoon of water before use;
  • "Ambroxol";
  • "Lazolvil";
  • “Ospan.”

All these remedies not only thin the mucus, but also relieve bronchospasm.

From 12 to 18

At this age, the respiratory muscles are fully formed. Therefore, drugs may include substances of a resorptive nature, increasing mucus production:

  • Acetylcysteine;
  • "Bronchipret";
  • "Solutan";
  • "Bronchosan";
  • "Bronchofit" and others.

It should be remembered that when treating a wet cough at any age, you should not take cough and expectorant medications at the same time, as this may lead to mucus stagnation.

Inhalations

For children, inhalations are the best way to treat. They can be done using:

  • ultrasonic nebulizer (compression is not suitable due to its large size and loud noise during operation);
  • "Romashka" apparatus or steam bath.

When using a nebulizer, all drugs are diluted with saline solution, which you buy at the pharmacy or make yourself by dissolving 2 g of ordinary salt in 250 ml of water. In a nebulizer for the treatment of wet cough The following remedies are recommended:

  • fluimucil;
  • alkaline mineral waters;
  • mucaltin;
  • propolis.

Steam inhalations carried out using:

  • eucalyptus and calendula with anti-inflammatory effect;
  • chamomile and lavender with a softening effect;
  • propolis, which is a natural antibiotic.

All inhalations can be carried out only in the absence of elevated temperature, starting from two years.

Are antibiotics needed?

Antibiotics are prescribed for infections of bacterial origin, as well as for complications with the development of inflammatory processes.

Only a doctor can prescribe these drugs after determining the type of bacteria or the nature of the inflammation.

Uncontrolled use of antibiotics may not only be useless, but also worsen health conditions child, disrupting the natural microflora of the gastrointestinal tract.

Folk remedies

Treatment with non-traditional methods for wet cough can be combined with medications or replace them.

To facilitate the passage of sputum, children are given:

  1. Aloe juice, diluted with water (50 ml of water - 10 ml of juice) twice a day, 10 ml.
  2. Warm fresh juice grapes- at night, 50 ml.
  3. Pine buds, brewed in milk. Brew like tea. Give the child 100-150 ml to drink during the day.
  4. Traditional hot milk with soda, honey or oil.

Children over five years old can be given mustard plasters or jars.

For any disease, it is difficult to persuade a child to take medicine. Therefore, in the evening you can do the following:

  1. Place a bag on your chest hot salt for 10 min.
  2. At this time, heat in a water bath badger fat.
  3. Rub the warm product onto your chest and the area between your shoulder blades.

After the first use, the baby will feel significant relief.

Should I see a doctor?

When a child develops a wet cough, especially for the first time, it is imperative to visit the pediatrician, as the causes of this symptom may not only be of a cold nature.

Timely identification of the cause of a wet cough guarantees a quick and complete cure.

The cause of a wet cough is the accumulation of mucus in the baby's respiratory organs. To prevent this, it is necessary to boost the child’s immunity by organizing a healthy lifestyle with proper nutrition, walks in the fresh air and physical activity.

Treatment of a wet cough in a child using drainage massage in this video:

We kindly ask you not to self-medicate. Make an appointment with a doctor!



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