The child coughs constantly: what to do at home

No doctor will be able to diagnose correctly without examining the patient before it. Therefore, the classic phrase of the parents: "Our child coughs constantly - what to do?" He does not say anything to him. Frequent coughing is the first signal of the body about problems, which should be listened to and, for some peculiarities, to establish the root cause of this malfunction.

Description

Cough is an important reflex of the body, which allows you to completely clean the airways of both large foreign objects and the smallest fractions of dust, which by their presence interfere with clean breathing. A very healthy baby can cough up to thirteen times a day, and this, according to experts, is considered to be a common phenomenon, contributing to the purification of the trachea, lungs and bronchi. Often babies cough after crying, during teething or in the process of eating. Physiological cough is very simple to distinguish from a cold: as a rule, it ends very quickly, and the child continues to deal with his immediate affairs. But what if the child does not stop coughing? What to do in this case, the doctor should decide, because wrongly chosen therapy can lead to a significant deterioration of the situation.

Types of cough

Cough itself is not a disease, but it is a clear symptom that has a number of reasons. Only their correct elimination can lead to positive results. A normal physiological phenomenon is considered a cough, which is not accompanied by a disorder of the stool, the presence of a cold, rash or fever. The reason for this phenomenon can be the presence of too dry air in the room, increased salivation and even a sharp change in temperature. But how to help if the child coughs all the time? What to do? Contact a doctor or try to cope on their own? Seek professional help should you find additional symptoms:

• General deterioration of health;
• Lethargy;
• Elevated temperature;
• Pain in the chest and muscles;
• Presence of a common cold.

Pathological cough

It is usually divided into wet and dry. It can be strong or periodic, and sometimes with attacks of vomiting and suffocation. What if the child coughs without stopping? You can solve the problem after determining the cause of this phenomenon. The choice depends entirely on the nature of the cough, so doctors pay maximum attention to this aspect.

• Wet - clearly indicates the presence of a viral infection in the airways. Experts call it productive, since such a cough provides less discomfort, is accompanied by a qualitative sputum discharge and, with appropriate treatment, passes fairly quickly.
• Dry - occurs due to irritation of the nerve receptors. It can be a foreign body or a different kind of infection. The most painful cough occurs with complications of acute respiratory viral infection, untreated influenza, angina. He is also the most dangerous, since it leads to the development of inflammation, worsening of the situation and prolonged treatment.

Expert opinion

The child coughs constantly - what to do? Komarovsky EO on this issue makes a clear verdict - go to the doctor. He himself is a pediatrician, a candidate of medical sciences, and for his long medical practice has written many useful books. No self-respecting doctor will be able to diagnose correctly without examining the patient, and even less will prescribe the appropriate treatment for him, the doctor believes. Medicines "from coughing" in medicine do not exist, as there are no separate preparations "from the head" or "from the cold". Each symptom has its own reasons, which an experienced specialist must find out and eliminate. The indecisiveness of most parents leads to the fact that they get advice from local pharmacists who offer them a range of medicines with the most diverse composition.

What does this lead to?

Before deciding what to do, if the child coughs constantly, at home, one should learn a little information. The lungs of any person are engaged in the constant production of mucus, which contributes to their qualitative purification. The main part of it is formed in the bronchi, from where it is removed by periodic coughing. But cough can provoke not only irritation of the respiratory tract, but also various types of pathologies of the central nervous system that cause disruption of the cough center in the brain. The cause may be the development of the following diseases:

• Whooping cough - it is characterized by a paroxysmal protracted cough;
• Allergies - the reasons can be different, a striking example - bronchial asthma;
• Bacterial and viral infections - tuberculosis, laryngitis, pneumonia, bronchitis, ARI;
• Tumors - affect different parts of the respiratory tract and lead to disruption of their functioning;
• Chemical irritation - poisoning with paint or vapors of gasoline:
• Helminthic invasions.

A number of cardiac pathologies can lead to a violation of blood circulation, stagnation in the lungs. Its conclusion will require increased production of sputum, which, in turn, causes a persistent cough.

Pharmacy products

What should I do if the child coughs all the time? To find out the cause of this phenomenon and to work directly on the source of development of this unpleasant symptom. Most of the drugs available for free sale have an orientation not to the cough center in the brain, but to sputum itself, helping its liquefaction and rapid elimination from the bronchi. But the mechanism of their impact is not exactly the same. So, some of these medicines have combined properties, they are able to weaken signals that go to the brain (antitussive functions) and dilute sputum. Used by all "Broncholitin" contains a cough antagonist glaucin, ephedrine, basil oil and citric acid. Typical antitussive representatives also include "Stoptussin", "Tusuprex", "Libexin", "Glaucin" and "Pakseladin."

Correct treatment

Having convinced of the importance of cough, it remains for us to make it as productive as possible. If the child coughs continuously, what should be done at home? Use only drugs that help alleviate this symptom and correct sputum production. Use drugs and folk methods that improve the work of the bronchial mucosa and dilute the mucus in them. For these purposes, a number of medicinal expectorants are used. They have a very different form of release. In the case of young children, it is more expedient to use a medicine in the form of candles and syrups. Older children are shown inhalations, and in difficult cases the doctor can prescribe intravenous and intramuscular injections. All types of expectorants can be divided into two categories:

• Natural - created on a plant basis, including elements useful to the body;
• Chemical - a number of chemist's drugs with artificial composition.

There are also commercially available and combined preparations containing substances from both groups, not the most useful to the children's organism. Here it remains to read the composition or refer to natural folk methods of treatment.

Important points

The child coughs without ceasing, what to do? Folk remedies here include a number of mandatory measures that contribute to a better outcome of sputum:

• Observe the drinking regimen - warm drinking in large quantities helps to dissolve sputum;
• Moisten the air in the room - you can do it with the help of ordinary towels (wet them under the tap and place them in the room on batteries);
• Check bed linen - it is possible that the baby has developed an allergy to one of the washing agents with which it is processed;
• Pay attention to house plants and surrounding objects of the child - their sharp aroma can also cause a sore throat and frequent coughing.

First aid

What if the baby coughs without stopping at night? Try to make the baby a soft massage. In the supine position, the withdrawal of sputum from the lungs becomes difficult, and soft stroking movements will help the crumb quick cleansing. Use inhalation. This effective method was successfully applied by our parents, storing a container with hot steam, moisturizing the larynx and allowing the bronchi to open up qualitatively. Now pharmacies offer us a more convenient and modern method - nebulizers. They are equipped with special nozzles for proper irrigation, and the kit, as a rule, includes an infusion of medicinal herbs of the desired action or mineral water. Such an inhaler is able to quickly quench even a strong attack of a child's cough.

Folk recipes

What if the child coughs without stopping? At home, the use of natural medicinal decoctions based on collections from medicinal plants is recommended. Qualitatively liquefy and excrete sputum can be with the help of mother-and-stepmother, licorice root, althea, black radish juice, thermopsis. It soothes the irritated throat with a warm milk based on a small amount of soda and honey. It works in three directions at once: it alleviates the symptoms, liquefies the mucus in the lungs and eliminates painful sensations. Make a baby compress of radish juice, it is applied immediately before going to bed, and if the child does not have temperature, try warming trays with mustard. After all, put on warm socks and carefully wrap the baby in a blanket.

A night attack

The child coughs without ceasing, what to do? If warm drinking does not help, the humidity in the room is normal, and inhalation has given a temporary result, stop the attack using the following methods:

1. Vertical position - this method promotes better ventilation of the lungs and soothes cough.
2. Medicinal preparations - they should be taken according to the scheme and purpose of the doctor, but in emergency cases they will help to stop the attack. Depending on the age of the child, determine the dosage, if necessary, you can call the ambulance and ask them for advice on this matter.
3. Rastirki - with their help you can quickly warm the legs or chest of the baby. For these purposes, badger and goose fat are often used. Camphor oil is an excellent warming power, it is mixed with honey in equal proportions and applied to the chest and back of the child, avoiding the heart area. After all, wrap the baby with a warm scarf and put on a comfortable blouse.

If the cough does not stop for ten days, accompanied by additional symptoms - temperature, painful sensations in the body, lethargy and drowsiness, the child should be shown to the doctor. In cases of abrupt changes in the condition, impaired consciousness, refusal to eat, drink, or obvious difficulty breathing, immediately call for an ambulance.