Dry cough in a child: causes and treatment

Cough is a very common clinical symptom that accompanies various diseases. A dry cough causes a lot of anxiety for the baby - it causes discomfort and pain and does not allow him to fully rest at night.

Causes of dry cough in children

At its core, a cough is a reaction of the body aimed at protecting the respiratory tract from foreign agents. The mucous membrane has sensitive receptors that react to any foreign particles, microorganisms, and even dry air. The brain receives signals from the receptors and immediately sends an impulse to the respiratory muscles so that they contract. This is a cough. The cough is dry due to the fact that the amount of secretion is not enough, or because of its high viscosity.

Children often suffer from various respiratory diseases; they account for more than half of all childhood illnesses. In children, a dry cough develops several times more often than a wet cough; most often it is provoked by the following pathologies:

• bronchopulmonary dysplasia and other congenital pathologies;
• respiratory and colds;
• diseases of the nasopharynx, in which looseness of the mucous membrane of the pharyngeal region is noted;
• the presence of a foreign body in the respiratory tract, which could have entered during feeding or for other reasons;
• increased secretion of saliva, which is observed in a child during teething or when the baby cries;
• various infectious diseases;
• overexertion as a result of frequent stress;
• exposure to allergens on the child’s body;
• diseases of the respiratory system, for example, asthma;
• cardiac pathologies.

Often, the causes of a dry cough in a baby can be parasites, which, during their movement throughout the body, injure the lung tissue.

Parents should know that if there is a foreign body in the baby’s larynx, coughing may be accompanied by suffocation, and often the foreign object may descend into the bronchi. At the same time, it provokes an inflammatory process there, accompanied by purulent discharge. If you have such symptoms, you should urgently consult a doctor.

Prolonged dry cough in a child

Long dry cough indicates that the body has inflammation or irritation of the upper respiratory tract. In this case, the temperature can be either elevated or normal.

Sometimes a child may cough for a long time after a cold or after suffering an inflammatory process in the bronchopulmonary system. This cough is called residual cough. There is no need to treat it; it goes away on its own in a couple of weeks.

A prolonged dry cough can also occur for other reasons, which can be determined by the color of the sputum and the nature of the cough.

1. A jerky dry cough, which is accompanied by a red throat, is most likely a respiratory disease.
2. Long-term, infrequent, but constant coughing can be a sign of a dangerous disease - tuberculosis.
3. Cough, which manifests itself in the form of attacks with suffocation, occurs with bronchial asthma.
4. An allergic cough is very similar to a tuberculosis cough, however, it is not always dry; if the allergy is severe enough, the cough is usually wet.
5. An infrequent and dry cough may indicate the presence of helminthic infestations in the body. This cough may disappear for a couple of weeks and then return.
6. When the larynx is irritated, the strength and frequency of the cough depends on how strong the irritant is. Barking dry cough develops when the larynx spasms under the influence of dry or cold air. This cough usually goes away after the child drinks warm tea. But if the conditions do not change, then after a while the cough returns again.
7. A cough can occur with certain diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, for example, when contents from the stomach are thrown into the esophagus. This phenomenon can be observed after eating or when the child takes a horizontal position.

A lingering dry cough can occur for a variety of reasons, the most common of them were presented above; we must not forget that a cough is only a symptom, so it is not the cough itself that needs to be treated, but the reasons that cause it.

Night dry cough

A dry cough that bothers a child at night may have the reasons described earlier; in order to relieve a child’s nocturnal paroxysmal cough, the following must be done:

1. Place a pillow over the child's back so as to elevate the upper body, or sit him down. This will improve the flow of mucus and make breathing easier.
2. Give warm water or tea to drink. Moisturizing will relieve an attack of dry cough, and with a wet cough it will wash away the mucus that makes breathing difficult.
3. You can give your child milk and honey - this remedy will coat the irritated mucous membranes and quickly stop the attack.
4. If an attack of dry cough is caused by dry air, you can either open a window, spray water around the baby’s crib, or turn on a humidifier.
5. In case of an allergic cough, it is necessary to eliminate the allergen; if the attack occurs at night, carefully inspect the room, remove the lint bedspread, soft toys, household chemicals, perfumes, and so on. You can also give your child an antihistamine.
6. During an attack of bronchial asthma, steam inhalation with eucalyptus, coltsfoot, any conifers and thyme will help.
7. To warm up and expand the bronchi, you can rub the child with camphor oil, however, at a temperature, rubbing is contraindicated.

It is important not to panic when a child coughs at night, but to clearly and confidently carry out the proposed manipulations; the parents’ anxiety will be transmitted to the baby and the cough may intensify.

Dry cough without fever

Finding out the causes of a dry cough and starting treatment is very important, otherwise pulmonary and bronchial secretions will remain in the respiratory tract and cause serious complications.  A dry cough (even without fever) can lead to the child developing oxygen starvation, because the bronchi will no longer perform their functions fully. The longer this condition continues, the more severe the consequences of hypoxia will develop.

Often, a dry cough in the absence of elevated temperature indicates that the inflammatory process has not been completely cured, and, therefore, if appropriate measures are not taken, the cough will become chronic. Chronic cough is extremely difficult and time consuming to deal with. In addition, chronic cough can cause the development of asthmatic syndrome or provoke obstructive bronchitis.

A dry cough irritates the mucous membrane of the larynx and pharynx, which leads to its looseness and more active susceptibility to attacks by pathogenic agents. Consequently, the risk of developing infectious diseases increases.

How to treat a dry cough in a child

To dry cough treatment the child was correct, it should be prescribed by the attending physician, based on the reasons that provoke this symptom.

For infectious diseases, antibiotics and antiviral drugs are prescribed. Children are most often prescribed antiviral suppositories - Viferon or GenferonLite; in addition, Arbidol has an immunomodulatory and antiviral effect.

As for antibacterial drugs, they cannot be prescribed to a child on their own. In addition, when taking antibiotics, it is necessary to give the child prebiotics to ensure the prevention of dysbiosis. Bifidumbacteri, Linex, Befiform and others are considered effective.

Symptomatic medications are also indicated:

• Antitussives - they block receptors and affect the cough center. For example, Sinekod.
• Mucolytics - thin the sputum and provoke its separation and removal from the bronchi - ACC, Lazolvan, Bromhexine.
• Expectorants - increase the amount of mucus and improve its discharge - Mucaltin, Pertussin and so on.

Only a doctor can combine these drugs, since the wrong combination of medications can worsen the child’s condition.

In addition to suppositories, tablets and sprays, inhalations are prescribed for coughs. The main objective of such therapy is to ensure maximum delivery of drugs into the respiratory tract. The dosage and medication are prescribed by a specialist, but Berodual or Erispal are most often used - they relieve inflammation well and facilitate the discharge of sputum. It is very important to remember that inhalation at fever is dangerous!

For allergic coughs, antihistamines are prescribed, and for bronchial asthma, drugs that help dilate the bronchi. Drug therapy for cough in children must be very careful and correct, since advanced processes are much more difficult to treat.

Alternative treatment for dry cough in children

Traditional medicine offers a large number of remedies for the treatment of dry cough; before using them, you should definitely consult a doctor, especially for children prone to allergic reactions. This is due to the fact that most folk recipes are based on the use of medicinal plants and bee products. The child may develop an allergic reaction to both.

When coughing, children are often prescribed a chest mixture, which includes various plants that have anti-inflammatory and expectorant effects. They can be gargled or used as inhalations. If the child is very small, then you can use essential oils, for example, pine. It can be dripped into an aroma lamp or simply into a bowl of hot water.

The most popular expectorant is licorice. The pharmaceutical version of licorice syrup contains alcohol and a lot of sugar, so it is better to prepare the infusion yourself. To do this, pour boiling water over the roots of the plant, boil for about 5 minutes, and then leave to steep for an hour or two. This remedy must be used within 7 days; longer use of licorice has a negative effect on the water and electrolyte balance.

It is recommended to give the child ginger with honey. This remedy not only has an expectorant effect, but also understands the immune system well.

An antimicrobial agent is radish with honey. You need to cut a hole in the radish into which the honey is placed. The radish itself should be placed in a bowl, since after a few hours juice will be released from it, which will collect in the container. You should drink one tablespoon of juice several times a day.

Before going to bed, it is recommended to give the child milk with honey, milk with butter, or bananas mashed in milk. If the baby does not tolerate milk, then it can be replaced with herbal anti-inflammatory tea.

Compresses are recommended. The most popular of them is considered a compress based on vegetable oil, alcohol and honey. All ingredients must be taken in equal quantities, mixed well and applied to gauze. The gauze is placed on the child's chest and covered with cling film on top. You don’t have to leave this compress on overnight; one hour is enough to warm it up.

A compress with apple cider vinegar relieves a dry cough well, but before applying it, it is necessary to lubricate the child’s skin with vegetable oil to prevent irritation. It’s a good idea to rub the chest area with badger or bear fat. Such procedures are recommended for very persistent coughs and tuberculosis.

When treating dry cough, it is very important to monitor the humidity in the room; it should be at least 60%, and it is also recommended to maintain an optimal temperature of +22°C. Warmer as well as colder air will negatively affect the condition of the respiratory tract.