Treatment of a child's cough

Cough occurs due to an attempt by the body to clear respiratory tracts from excess sputum. As such, cough is not a disease, but rather acts as a means to combat its consequences. Therefore, the methods of treating this symptom are determined by the doctor's diagnosis. And the diagnosis most often sounds "acute respiratory viral infection." The adult person, having felt certain symptoms of ARVI, rarely calls for medical help and successfully recovers. But if it is a question of a coughing child, this requires a pediatrician's consultation, since only a qualified specialist will be able to correctly assess the causes of cough and prescribe adequate treatment. Therefore, any cough treatment in a child should be started only after consulting a specialist.

If you are asking: "Does the child cough, than cure?", You should know that two types of cough are distinguished : dry and wet. A dry or unproductive cough is a real torture for a child, as it causes a painful throat irritation and does not bring any relief. In especially severe cases, there may be a vomiting. If such a cough is accompanied by a barking sound, then it can talk about the development of the inflammatory process in the larynx - laryngitis. Also, an unproductive lingering cough is one of the symptoms of whooping cough, the disease is quite hard to tolerate by young children, but it is completely curable, especially with antibiotic therapy in the early stages of hospitalization. Treatment of a child's cough in this case is combined with the elimination of symptoms of throat irritation.

A productive moist cough usually appears a few days after the onset of an acute respiratory disease, its peculiarity is that after it the child feels relieved, as the mucus from the bronchi begins to cough. The appearance of a wet cough suggests that the disease is receding. If suddenly the situation does not change and after the treatment the child's condition becomes worse, then it is necessary to inform the doctor about it. Treatment of cough in a child is better monitored by your pediatrician.

If, after visiting a doctor, it becomes clear that the disease accompanied by a cough, without complications and does not require treatment in the hospital, the parents are able to help the sick child to cope with this unpleasant symptom. Their task is to provide the baby with normal conditions for the restoration of his body, namely, moist air, comfortable temperature in the room and, very importantly, clean air, which is achieved through frequent airing. Also mandatory for coughing is a plentiful drink, it can be a compote made of fresh or dried fruits, mineral water of an alkaline type, fruit and berry teas with an increased content of vitamin C. The temperature of drinks should roughly equal the body temperature of the child. This will allow you to fill the body's fluid reserves and helps to dilute sputum in the respiratory tract.

To these actions it is possible to add carrying out of inhalations which will lead to intensive humidifying of mucus and will render useful influence on an organism due to essential oils and phytoncides of a phytogenesis. But since we are talking about a hot couple, parents should be very careful to protect the child from a burn, and with young children, this procedure is generally better not to conduct. For young children, trituration with coniferous or eucalyptus oil is more suitable, but again it should be remembered that a child under six months of age can not be triturated. "Children's cough ... Than to treat it," - often ask young moms who do not know what to do, except rubbing. Try joint inhalation with the help of special devices.

If, nevertheless, all these measures do not help and the child is exhausted by a dry cough, the doctor will appoint mucolytics to help make the phlegm more fluid and ensure her departure. These drugs, which are used in pediatrics, usually have a natural herbal origin and are available in the form of syrups with a pleasant taste and odor. Treatment of cough in a child should be correct, and parents should monitor the regularity of taking medications.

Thus, there are many ways to effectively help a child with a cough, but parents should not use them themselves without knowing the doctor's opinion.