Children's cough: causes and how to treat

When a child is sick, there is nothing worse in the world. Parents cannot find a place for themselves, even if the baby has a common runny nose. Young mothers are especially nervous when their baby starts coughing. Today we will talk about the problem of cough in children. Let's discuss the reasons that cause it and how to treat it.

Causes of cough in a child

Coughing is a normal reaction of the body to dust and microscopic foreign bodies. Designed to expel debris that has entered the human respiratory tract. The lungs contain phlegm, a substance secreted by the body to fight bacteria and dead epithelial cells. That is, the direct cause of cough is viruses and bacteria. If there is a disease in the body, the amount of sputum varies. It may become too much or too little. Based on this, a distinction is made between dry and wet cough.

Dry is considered unproductive, since there is no sputum that could remove excess bacteria from the body. With a wet cough, which can be recognized by a specific sound similar to gurgling, excess phlegm leaves the respiratory tract naturally. And the person can only spit it out. Small children do not know how to spit out mucus, but swallow it back. Thus, all bacteria that cause the disease remain in the body. This is where the whole complexity of a child’s cough lies.

A cough may indicate the following pathologies in a child’s body:

• inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx - runny nose, adenoids;
• acute respiratory infections, which in turn can lead to bronchitis, tracheitis or pneumonia;
• childhood allergies;
• infections - measles, whooping cough;
• debris that clogged the respiratory tract, the same dust;
• tuberculosis;
• disorders in the body of a nervous nature;
• pathologies of the respiratory system.

Cough without fever - causes

It is a mistake to think that a cough without fever is harmless. On the contrary, he is very dangerous. Since it indicates a hidden disease.

Diseases that are accompanied by a cough without fever:

1. Internal inflammation or allergy. Often accompanied by sneezing and runny nose.
2. Heart failure. Especially when lying down or after exercise.
3. Bad environment.
4. Papillomas in the larynx.
5. The onset of a venereal disease. Accompanied by itching and rash.
6. Pneumonia, bronchitis, tracheitis. As a consequence of suffering from ARVI.
7. False croup.
8. Tuberculosis.

Only a specialist can determine the exact cause of the cough. Do not try to be treated at home, go to the clinic immediately.

Treatment of dry cough in children

It is quite simple to understand that a child has a dry cough, which means the sputum is not coughed up and the infection is not washed out of the lungs. The sound resembles a bark; nothing wheezes or gurgles in the child’s chest.

Before starting treatment, it is necessary to accurately determine the cause of the dry cough. Most often this is a consequence of a viral disease. But a dry cough can also be caused by an infection such as measles. It is also not uncommon for a nonproductive cough to be a sign of an allergy.

General recommendations for treating dry cough in a baby:

• bed rest;
• plenty of warm drinks, homemade fruit drinks and compotes are best;
• remove from your diet all foods that irritate the throat - spicy, sour, salty or too hard;
• food easily digestible food, small portions every 2-3 hours;
• gargling with any antiseptic;
• if the cause is ARVI, then you need to give the child an antiviral - Viferon, Kagocel and others;
• expectorant and thinning agent - ACC, Mucaltin and others;
• inhalation, using a nebulizer, or the old-fashioned way - breathe steam from potatoes over a decoction of herbs like string or calendula.

The doctor will tell you more about the treatment once he has determined the cause of this cough.

Treatment of wet cough in a child

A wet cough is often accompanied by a fever. This suggests that the body is fighting the infection with all its might. If parents notice the following signs in their child, they should immediately go to the hospital.

1. Blood in respiratory secretions.
2. Green tint of sputum.
3. High fever, more than 38 degrees.
4. Wheezing.
5. The appearance of shortness of breath.
6. Refusing food or water.
7. Complaints of pain in the chest.

It is especially dangerous if a cough as such occurs in a child of the first year of life. At this early age in children, all processes occur incredibly quickly. That is, in the morning it was just a cough, but by lunchtime it could develop into bronchitis or pneumonia. Which cannot be cured without antibiotics.

Basic therapy for productive cough:

• sputum thinner - ACC, Bromhexine;
• expectorant - Mucaltin, Broncholitin, licorice root;
• bed rest;
• drink plenty of fluids, but do not force the child to eat;
• inhalation using saline solution or herbal decoction;
• massage the baby’s back and chest for better mucus removal; first lubricate your hands with a medicinal ointment without a strong odor.

It is also believed that light rhythmic tapping on the back ribs promotes more complete expectoration in babies. Acupuncture medicine recommends applying pressure to specific points on the body. For example, behind the ears or points on the hands and shins.

The best effect can be achieved by giving children an expectorant on an empty stomach.

Folk cough remedies for children

Traditional medicine recipes offer a large selection of home remedies for coughs. Starting with such simple things as mustard plasters, mustard in socks, jars, and ending with an oil compress at night.

Here you can find the most effective folk recipes for cough.

1. Take a black radish, make a hole in it and fill it with honey. After which the radish must be left for a day so that the medicinal juice comes out. This is what should be given to the patient, 1 teaspoon 3 times a day. You can mix the resulting juice with milk so that the taste is not so unpleasant.
2. A medium-sized onion or head of garlic needs to be chopped and poured with half a liter of milk. Boil and let it brew for 4-5 hours. Take a tablespoon every 4 hours. This remedy is also famous as an excellent natural immunomodulator.
3. A decoction of flowers and leaves of coltsfoot or linden. Raw materials can be purchased at any pharmacy. Brew at the rate of 1 tablespoon per glass of boiling water. Infuse and take 100 ml before meals.   Carrot or cabbage juice mixed with sugar. In proportions 1:2 and 1:1 respectively.
4. Rub the baby's back and chest with badger or pork lard. It's better to do it at night. Wrap the child warmly and let him sleep.
5. Onion juice and honey are a good natural antiseptic. If desired, the onion can be replaced with lemon juice or aloe pulp.
6. Milk with honey and cinnamon. If desired, you can replace the honey and cinnamon with figs. A powerful anti-inflammatory agent.
7. Tea with raspberry jam.
9. Inhalations with medicinal herbs. For example, thyme, sage, mint, string, chamomile.
10. Any berries, herbs with anti-inflammatory effect and honey. Make a compote out of all this and give the baby plenty to drink. The compote must be warm - do not irritate your sore throat with low temperatures.
11. It is very beneficial for sick children to eat eggs. These are easily digestible proteins, vitamins B, A, D. You can prepare the following remedy - take 2 yolks, mix with 2 teaspoons of butter. Add to them 1 dessert spoon of flour or starch and honey to taste. Mix everything thoroughly and give the baby 1 teaspoon 4-5 times a day. Only eggs must be of high quality, fresh and preferably homemade!