The child coughs for a long time what to do Komarovsky. Treatment of dry cough according to Komarovsky

A beloved child is tormented - the whole family has no peace! You think to yourself: “It would be better if I had been ill a hundred times ...” A familiar picture? There is a way out of this situation. Famous on the Internet, Dr. Komarovsky gives advice on the treatment of dry cough in a child. His recommendations are given in this article.

What is a cough? This is an important mechanism of the body, which contributes to the normal functioning of the respiratory system. The mucous membrane of our bronchi all the time produces a certain substance. It includes the necessary components, which in turn allow you to maintain the elasticity of tissues.

Dust that enters the respiratory system is absorbed. Komarovsky notes that it is this sputum that is the body's main fighter against infections that enter the child's body, along with inhaled dust. It also contains antimicrobial substances:

  • lysozyme
  • immunoglobulin

Komarovsky also draws attention to the following nuance. Sputum has certain physical and chemical properties: viscosity and density. In medical language, this is the rheology of sputum. It is logical to assume: if the mucus has an abnormal rheology, then it will not be able to perform its functions in full.

  • glass of warm milk with honey
  • half a glass of milk with soda
  • tea with raspberry jam

Means to relieve coughing fits can be prepared with the child. In a glass of milk let him put three figs. Bring the prepared mixture to a boil, cool slightly. The medicine prepared by the baby himself will be drunk with great pleasure!

Recurrent bronchitis in children - description, symptoms, causes and treatment

All of these ways to alleviate bouts of unproductive coughing are a good help. But they do not replace medical treatment.

Prevention

A little about prevention. Komarovsky does not get tired of repeating that the most important thing for preventive purposes is to prevent a decrease in the child's immunity. It's no secret that a weak immune system is more susceptible to infections and viruses.

Daily airing of a dwelling reduces the risk of infection by 2-3 times, because pathogens die in cold air.

A huge help in the fight against viral diseases (including influenza) are preventive ones. They need to be done every year at the onset of the cold season. The positive effect of vaccination occurs after two weeks. It is desirable that during this period the child does not come into contact with infectious patients.

Important! Only a doctor directs for vaccination! The child must be absolutely healthy. Vaccination can be done from 6 months.

During the cold season, as a preventive measure, Dr. Komarovsky recommends drinking a rosehip decoction. This will strengthen the child's immunity, as rose hips contain a large amount of vitamin C.

If a child suffers from colds more than 8 times a year, then doctors refer them to the group of often and long-term sick people (CHD). In this case, consultation with an immunologist is necessary. Often sick children, the pediatrician can prescribe sanatorium treatment. And absolutely free! By the Ministry of Health.

Another effective prophylactic is. But only in moderation. You should start with a gradual decrease in water temperature. Reduce by one degree every day. Hardening should start from the feet. For example, in the first days - they soaked the legs in cool water, on the fifth day - up to the hips, and so on. Only a healthy child should be tempered. Even if there is only a slight runny nose, hardening should be stopped.

For any cough, a qualified specialist should be consulted. In no case do not self-medicate! Not only will you not cure, but you will earn a complication. Your child's health is in your hands!

Feb 18, 2017 Violetta Doctor

The treatment of a cold is left behind, but you still can't get rid of a cough? The mucous membrane of the respiratory tract in a child after SARS recovers slowly and, together with a weakened immune system, an unpleasant residual cough appears. How dangerous is it to health and how to cure a cough in a child?

Why does residual cough happen in children?

To cure a viral infection, bronchitis, pneumonia is only the first stage on the road to recovery. A weakened child's body, especially after taking antibiotics, needs time to recover. And all the while, sensitive bronchi use the most common defense mechanism - coughing, which prevents the airways from becoming clogged with phlegm, mucus or pus. Therefore, parents need to know the causes, symptoms and how to properly treat residual cough in a child.

Causes

A persistent cough in a child after a respiratory disease is more likely to be a normal variant than a rare occurrence. To recover and develop immunity, the baby's body needs some time. The viruses remaining after the illness are no longer so strong, but they still continue to irritate the bronchi and trachea, causing a residual cough, which, with proper therapy, should pass in two to three weeks. Among other reasons, when a child has a strong cough without fever:

  • recurrence of an inflammatory or infectious disease;
  • reaction of the respiratory tract to contact with cold air, excessive physical activity;
  • allergies to dust, pet hair, cigarette smoke;
  • foreign body;
  • stress, nervousness;
  • a rare disease of the stomach - gastroesophageal reflux.

Symptoms

The situation, when there is a feeling that the cold is not going to go away and the child does not stop coughing for a long time, should alert the parents. At this moment, according to some signs, it is necessary to be able to determine where the beginning of a new disease is, and where the baby has stopped getting sick, and is only subject to residual effects. The most common symptoms of a persistent cough are:

  • periodic manifestation of the residual phenomenon, when the cough itself is shallow, there is no sputum, it often appears in the morning;
  • there is no temperature, snot, intoxication and other signs of a cold;
  • within three weeks after completion of the course of therapy, the cough becomes less intense and rare;
  • the baby’s immune system, recovering, weakens the cough and copes with it, even without treatment.

When is a cough dangerous in a child after an illness?

Fear should be caused by a situation when a child has a ringing cough for a month, a temperature has appeared, or the baby complains of pain. One must be able to distinguish any of these symptoms from residual effects and, if suspected, contact a pediatrician so that the baby undergoes an additional examination. What is the danger of a prolonged or incessant cough in children? Behind this, the development of chronic bronchitis, whooping cough, pneumonia, or a chest injury that makes inhalation and exhalation painful, tuberculosis may begin. In these cases, serious medical attention is required.

How to treat residual cough

If there is confidence that these are residual effects after an acute respiratory viral infection or some other viral infection, then drug treatment may not be needed. After a few weeks, the respiratory system normalizes, the mucous membrane clears up and the residual cough will pass if you often ventilate the room, do wet cleaning, and use an ultrasonic humidifier. Then how to treat residual cough in a child? Quickly get rid of an obsessive cough will help folk remedies, inhalation, in special cases - medication.

Medical treatment

To help your baby's airways clear more quickly of phlegm or mucus that accumulates with a cold, a treatment program to eliminate residual effects may include medication. According to the nature of the cough and the general assessment of the state of the child's body, the pediatrician will prescribe thinners (dry cough) or expectorants (wet cough) or drugs with spasmodic or enveloping properties. To reduce irritation of the mucosa and to cope with residual effects help:


Folk remedies

If the child coughs heavily, then the conspiracy is unlikely to help influence the process. Among folk remedies, there are other useful recipes that help to remove a dry frequent cough in a child with the help of decoctions, products prepared in a special way, compresses. How to cure residual cough in a child with folk methods:

  • Warm drink with milk, and this product is combined with honey, soda, butter, figs, goat fat, mineral water. A tablespoon of another ingredient is taken for one glass of heated liquid, and milk is diluted with mineral water in a ratio of 1: 1. Such a cough treatment in children with the help of folk remedies is considered the most popular, and if you give a warm drink to a baby at night, it helps to improve sleep, remove a barking cough, and cure a throat.
  • Egg yolks ground with sugar (chicken, quail) are a well-known eggnog. If a child coughs up vomiting, a whistle is heard, then this folk remedy will not help, but such a sweet treatment can alleviate a hard cough. To make the taste even more pleasant, honey, cocoa, citrus juice are added to the pounded yolks, but on condition that the baby is not allergic to these products. To prepare a serving, you need to take one yolk and a tablespoon of granulated sugar, grind thoroughly to a lush white mass, and then add any of the additional ingredients up to a teaspoon.
  • Herbal infusions are prepared in the evening, a thermos is used for this, and the proportions are simple: 1 tbsp is taken per glass of boiling water. l. vegetable raw materials. To make the treatment of cough in children faster, chamomile, linden blossom, St. John's wort, sage, green cones are taken for infusion.
  • Instead of mustard plasters and ready-made pharmaceutical ointments, it is better to do rubbing at night if the child has a wet cough, with pork, goat, badger, bear fat, and then wrap the baby well.
  • Compresses are another good folk remedy if the child does not have a dry cough for a long time, and boiled and mashed potatoes, bread crumb, cabbage leaf with honey are suitable for the procedure.

Inhalation with dry cough without fever

The search for an effective method of how to cure dry cough in children, if the process is a residual effect, leads to treatment with inhalation. To soften is the main goal of this type of therapy, and steam is ideal for this. The baby will have to breathe over hot vapors, and the liquid is still gurgling, so parents should be very careful and monitor the baby. Inhalation is well suited for those who suffer from chronic cough, and the duration of the procedure takes no more than a quarter of an hour.

In the absence of allergic reactions, essential oils are suitable, for example, pine, juniper, eucalyptus. Dr. Komarovsky advises doing inhalations with medicinal herbs (string, ledum, coltsfoot), and use either inhalers or a nebulizer during the procedure. An effective and simple folk method is to breathe over a pot of potatoes, covering your head with a towel on top.

Video: how to relieve residual cough in a child

Why does the child have a residual cough

Residual cough is observed in a child after suffering bronchitis, pneumonia and tracheitis. It is observed already after all the symptoms have gone, the temperature has returned to normal, all the main signs of the disease have passed. In this case, the child periodically coughs without spitting out sputum. Such manifestations are called residual cough.

Residual cough may appear for up to two weeks. In this case, children's immunity becomes decisive. In the event that ARVI is observed in a child for the sixth time a year, residual cough can be observed in him for up to three weeks.

The causative agent of an infectious disease causes residual cough. The mucous membrane of the bronchi and trachea is damaged by the virus, and it does not recover too quickly. It will take some time for it to fully recover. That is what constitutes the period of observation of residual cough.

Residual cough after bronchitis in a child

Residual cough after bronchitis gives the child a lot of trouble and requires appropriate treatment. Despite the fact that there is no immediate danger of coughing after bronchitis, there are two circumstances that make it serious.

First of all, it is often confused with the symptoms of bronchitis itself or its complications. In this case, the duration of the cough and the nature of its course are important. After bronchitis, it makes sense to periodically show the child to the doctor. In the event that the child has been coughing for more than three weeks, while the cough is dry, occurs in attacks, the possibility of whooping cough should be excluded.

The duration of the cough after bronchitis suggests that there are malfunctions in the immune system. Pathogenic microbes that cause disease are perfectly deposited on the irritated bronchi of the child. He could catch the infection again if it is present in his team, whether it be a kindergarten group or a class. It is better to keep the child at home until the cough is completely eliminated from him.

Residual cough in a child after SARS

Cough can be a residual phenomenon after an ARVI suffered by a child. It is observed because there is a violation of the normal functioning of the organs of the respiratory system of the child and sputum in the form of mucus is formed in his bronchi. It is the presence of residual cough after SARS that is a guarantee of protection of the bronchi and trachea from sputum.

Residual cough after a respiratory infection can be either dry or with sputum. At the same time, the secreted sputum is thick and viscous, with impurities of mucus.

A cough in a child can manifest itself in different ways. Coughing can be either inconspicuous or turn into a strong, persistent cough. In the latter case, the child may have a fever and feel worse. Residual cough after SARS is most often manifested in preschool children.

Residual cough in a child after tracheitis

The main symptoms of tracheitis in a child are fatigue, weakness, fever. In their external absence, the child may experience a cough, which is one of the residual symptoms of the disease. This is observed in almost every second case. Residual cough in a child after tracheitis is manifested due to weakened immunity or individual characteristics of the child's body. Getting on the mucous membranes of the trachea and bronchi, the virus begins to actively multiply. Residual cough does not need any additional treatment, however time is needed for recovery.

How long does a residual cough last in a child?

Residual cough after an illness in a child is one of the normal phenomena. In about half of the reported cases, it lasts up to a month or longer. It all depends on the state of the child's body and the disease that he suffered. If it is observed after bronchitis, special attention should be paid to the nature of the discharge when coughing. They should be light, the body temperature should not rise, and in general, the cough itself should tend to decrease.

Children at preschool age themselves cannot track the frequency of sputum discharge and spit it normally. In addition, they need more time to restore the bronchial mucosa. If you do not resort to additional methods of treatment, sputum disappears after about a month.

For children of primary school age, a shorter amount of time is required to eliminate the symptoms of residual cough. If no additional treatment is applied, their cough clears up within ten days on average. Treatment can cut this time in half.

Residual cough in a child, how to treat?

For the treatment of residual cough in a child, a number of preventive procedures are required to facilitate the treatment process itself. Often this is enough to stop the residual cough, especially if it occurs after bronchitis. Preventive measures include airing the room in which the child lives, preventing exposure to acute allergens, protecting the child from smoking in his presence, maintaining the temperature in the child’s living room at a certain level, without drops.

In residential premises, it is required to regularly carry out wet cleaning and monitor the general state of the microclimate. It is recommended to use a humidifier, the principle of which is based on the use of ultrasound. This is more effective than hanging wet towels in the room and placing water containers on the floor. The air humidifier is able not only to maintain the air humidity at a given level, but also to purify it from harmful impurities.

Dry cough is one of the varieties of residual cough that occurs in a child after suffering various diseases. Like any kind of cough, it requires the use of a certain method of treatment.

First of all, it is necessary to place the child in a comfortable and calm state. Most often, parents are well aware that a dry cough is often caused by exposure to noise or strong light on the child.

  • a teaspoon of fresh honey without adding anything else;
  • a glass of boiled milk with the addition of a teaspoon of baking soda;
  • the use of tea with raspberry jam to solder the child before going to bed.

Steam inhalation can significantly alleviate the course of a dry cough in a child. For this, drinking water is used with a concentration of baking soda in the amount of four tablespoons per liter.

In the event that self-administered treatment does not give any desired results, it is necessary to seek help from a doctor. He will be able to correctly determine the cause of dry cough in a child and prescribe adequate treatment.

How to get rid of residual wet cough in a child

Residual cough in a child is most often due to sputum accumulated in his lungs. In such cases, children's doctors generally advise first of all to ensure the ventilation of the child's room. In addition, you can wash his nose with saline placed in a jar. Such a measure is more suitable for prevention so that the sputum does not dry out in the child's nasopharynx.

Be sure to give the child a drink in large quantities. Rosehip broth is best suited for this, it contains a large amount of vitamins and trace elements. For example, there is more vitamin C in it than in all mineral and vitamin complexes. When preparing the solution, the dosage of its use should be observed. Rosehips in the volume of one tablespoon are poured with a glass of water, after which the entire volume must be brought to a boil. After boiling for an hour, all liquid must be cooled for two hours. After that, about a tenth of the solution is diluted with water to a volume of 200 milliliters. Should be applied every other day. After about a week and a half, there is a weakening of dry cough, and by the end of the month it completely stops.

How to treat residual cough according to Komarovsky

The main recommendations of Dr. Komarovsky boil down to the following: you should not suppress the residual cough in a child through the use of various cough suppressants. This is dangerous, since coughing is nothing more than the consequences of previous seasonal illnesses. Thus, the child's body cleanses itself. If the coughing stops, the lungs will not produce enough sputum. This entails impaired ventilation of the lungs and increases the risk of pneumonia and bronchitis.

Dr. Komarovsky believes that a cough is necessary for a child's body. Of course, it needs to be treated, but the treatment should not be based on eliminating the cough, but on its relief. There must be a sufficiently effective relief effect on the lungs of the child. The use of drugs should be primarily aimed at eliminating sputum. Everyone knows that the thicker the sputum, the harder it is to leave the child's body.

Residual cough in a child, how to treat folk remedies?

Pine buds in water or milk give a good effect when used to treat residual cough in a child. The preparation of a medicinal infusion involves adding a tablespoon of pine buds to half a liter of boiling milk. The fire is turned off and the infusion is carried out for an hour. To solder the child, a warm infusion is applied every two hours in a volume of 50 milliliters. In this case, milk can be replaced with water, and pine cones with spruce shoots.

Badger fat is considered a good traditional medicine for the treatment of residual cough in a child. Preschool children are recommended only for its external use. Fat is rubbed on the skin on the back of the child, on the abdomen, shoulders, chest and legs. After this, the child must be covered warmly and put to bed. After he sweats well, you need to change his underwear.

For children over seven years old, badger fat can be recommended for oral use in a teaspoon three times a day. You can dissolve it in warm milk and give it to a child with honey, it will be healthy and tasty. If a child is allergic to such drinking components, you can buy him badger fat at a pharmacy.

In addition to badger fat, sheep and goose fat can also be used. The intake of such fats is carried out according to the same principle as the use of badger fat for medicinal purposes.

Healthy and happy children are what every mother dreams of. The smaller the baby, the more difficult it is to endure various diseases due to the unfinished nervous, muscular, and immune systems of the body. Viruses, bacterial pathogens, allergens, infections can become a source of illness. The wisdom of mother nature is so great that with a variety of symptoms, the body hints to doctors and parents at the causes of problems. What does a wet cough in a child indicate and how dangerous is it?

Causes of wet cough in a child

Cough is an increased exhalation through the mouth, caused by factors that irritate the respiratory tract receptors. The physiological processes occurring in this case - contraction of the muscle tissue of the larynx, increased muscle tone of the bronchial system, tension of the abdominal muscles - are reflex. The cough reflex is unconditional, it acts as a protective function of the body, which allows you to remove foreign bodies, other irritating objects.

The presence of a wet cough in a child in most cases is not a dangerous, life-threatening and health-threatening symptom in general. Doctors call this type of mucus expectoration productive: the muscles of the bronchial tree contract, getting rid of interfering foreign bodies - sputum, dust particles, allergens. Pulmonologists, pediatricians insist - neither wet nor dry cough is treated! It is necessary to identify the cause of the occurrence and act on it.

So, the reasons for the productive excretion of sputum in a child are:

  • Colds, viral and other diseases.
    1. Various respiratory tract infections.
    2. bacterial complications.
    3. Bronchial asthma.
    4. Chronic diseases.
    5. Oncology.
  • Allergy.
  • Runny nose or snot.
  • Physiological causes (often found in infants when milk enters the respiratory tract).
  • Teething. From 8 months, most babies have their first teeth. Abundant salivation, inflammation of the mucous membranes become "provocateurs".

In what cases should the appearance of a wet cough in a child cause an emergency response by the parents, the presence and supervision of a doctor:

  • Child's age (1 year). A wet cough in an infant is dangerous due to the underdevelopment of body systems and the inability to cough effectively. While the baby is not able to sit down, sputum accumulates in the bronchi. A wet, gurgling cough can lead to vomiting and cause breathing problems.
  • The presence of a temperature above 38 for three or more days.
  • Sudden prolonged seizures in a child.
  • The presence of shortness of breath with a frequency of:
    • more than 60 breaths - in infants up to 3 months;
    • more than 50 breaths per minute - in a one-year-old child;
    • 40 or more breaths in a child 2 years of age or older.
  • The presence of wheezing, wheezing cough, barking may indicate pneumonia that occurs without fever or be a bacteriological complication of an untreated viral infection.
  • When abundant sputum in a child has a greenish tint; admixture of blood; reddish color.
  • Persistent wet cough in children aged 3 years and older, accompanied by a decrease / loss of appetite; lethargy; drowsiness.

Folk remedies for cough with phlegm

When treating with various methods, one should focus on the age of the child and the nature of the course of the disease. The absence of fever, the presence of appetite, accompanied by a wet cough after an illness, should not cause acute anxiety of parents. Babies up to a year require special attention and care. When a cough appears in a baby, it is imperative to call a doctor at home! Severe seizures, up to vomiting, can be triggered by:

  • Pertussis stick. This is one of the few cases when the cough goes away after taking drugs that provide inhibition of the cough center in the brain. Self-medication is strictly prohibited, and in order to make a diagnosis through laboratory tests, it is necessary to confirm the presence of whooping cough in the child's body.
  • Stenosis of the larynx (laryngotracheitis). Urgently call an ambulance in this case: you and your baby will need hospitalization! While you are waiting for the doctor, fill the bathroom with hot water after closing the door. Hold the baby in a humid, warm microclimate, trying to calm him down as much as possible.

The remaining cases of wet cough in infants up to a year old, as well as in older children and adolescents, are perfectly treatable with the help of physiotherapy - inhalation, chest massage; breathing exercises; light physical activity; stay outdoors. Consider in detail how to quickly get rid of a wet cough.

Inhalations

An excellent means of "transferring" a cough from dry to wet, acting on the upper respiratory tract with warm air, essential oils, saturated vapors of soda, salt, iodine, are inhalations. Remember from childhood the way to treat a cold is to “breathe over boiled potatoes”? So, our grandmothers and mothers were right: warm air, warming the trachea and nasopharynx, thins the mucus, improving the motor function of the ciliated epithelium. This method is ideal for those who accumulate phlegm in the throat and upper tracts.

Modern medicine for the convenience of children and parents suggests using special inhalers:

  • Cheaper and simpler versions are represented by a bath and a tube with nozzles.
  • A nebulizer is a medical device for use at home. By inhaling liquids (drugs, soda water, etc.) turned into an aerosol state, viscous sputum is excellently liquefied in a child.

Expectorant massage

Chest massage performed at home by parents or a specialist is effective, helping to rid the child of a wet cough. Light tapping movements; wide sweeping strokes with pressure on the chest, performed from top to bottom; kneading and pinching will increase blood flow to the bronchi and lungs, stimulating the thinning of mucus and the excretion of sputum.

Other effective remedies

Herbal decoctions, tinctures of berries have long been known as effective means of getting rid of a child's cough. To make a dry cough turn into a wet one, brew 4 tbsp for 0.5 liters of water. breast collection. Rosehip tincture (100 g of dry berries per liter of water) will raise the tone, saturating the body with vitamin C; linden decoction will enhance the expectorant component, thinning sputum; Chamomile tea, being a natural antiseptic, will help get rid of bacteria and viruses faster.

Good for a child in the treatment of wet cough breathing exercises. Helps to relax the cough center, reduces the frequency of urges, helps to normalize the work of the ciliated epithelium of the respiratory system. To improve lung function by "pumping" larger volumes of air, buy your child balloons. By combining the game with breathing procedures when inflating the latter, you will help the baby.

expectorant medicines

The list of expectorants for "getting" a productive cough in a child is conditionally divided into 2 groups:

  • Medicines that thin the phlegm.
  • Drugs that improve the excretion of sputum from the bronchi, lungs.

The form of the drug - tablets, mixture or syrup - depends on the age of the child. All drugs are divided into natural and synthetic. The advantages of the former include a minimum of chemical additives that the child’s body weakened by the disease will receive when taken orally. The downside is the unpredictable reaction of the body to natural ingredients: allergies sometimes lead to increased wet cough and seizures.

Syrup

When thinking about what to give a child, mothers of small children should pay attention to chemical dyes and additives that improve the taste of syrups: they can cause allergies, causing an increase in the cough reflex. Syrups are presented on the pharmaceutical:

  • Reflex effects on the respiratory system:
    1. Alteyka;
    2. Pectolvan ivy;
    3. Stoptussin Phyto syrup;
    4. Bronchicum etc.
  • Resorptive action, improving mucus secretion:
    1. Amtersol;
    2. Ambroxol;
    3. Carbocysteine.

potion

Dry mixture for children is a drug of combined action, relieves a wet cough, normalizes the activity of the cilia of the bronchial epithelium. Refers to natural herbal remedies, indicated for children from infancy. It is taken orally in liquid form: the powder is diluted with boiled water in the proportions indicated on the insert. Exceeding the dosage is not allowed!

Tablets

The tablet form of drugs is more suitable for middle-aged and older children. Tablets contain fewer dyes, and in terms of the impact on wet cough indicators, they are as effective for a child as syrups and mixtures. A small list of expectorants:

  • Mukaltin;
  • Sinupret;
  • Cough tablets;
  • Evkabal and others.

How to treat a wet cough without fever according to Komarovsky

Children's cough often occurs as a result of a viral / bacterial infection of the body (ARVI, bronchitis, laryngitis, snot, etc.) or due to a violation of the optimal living conditions for an individual child (dust, mold, dry air, etc.). Methods and means of treating wet cough depend on the causes of the disease, the age of the child and the course of the disease. How to cure phlegm in a child?

Gather and calm down, and then take a series of measures aimed at:

  • facilitating the process of coughing, helping to thin thick, viscous mucus;
  • creating humidity in the room up to 60-70%;
  • ensuring the absence of allergens, even if the child is not allergic;
  • discontinuation of medication when a wet productive cough appears;
  • a categorical ban on taking antitussive drugs (with the exception of whooping cough, croup) with a wet cough.

What to do if sputum does not come out

If a child has a wet cough turned into a dry one, it is necessary to understand the reasons:

  1. Taking antitussive drugs disables the natural reflexes of clearing the airways. Taken on their own, for other purposes, they can turn a child's wet productive cough into a barking dry one. The solution will be the rejection of drugs, drinking plenty of water, taking mucolytic drugs.
  2. Taking antibiotics for ARVI, the mutually exclusive use of certain medications can cause a dry cough, although at the initial stage the child had a wet cough.
  3. After a short-term improvement after a cold, the transformation of a wet cough into a dry one indicates the lowering of the infection into the lower respiratory tract or the addition of a bacterial lesion of the body. In this case, an immediate visit to the doctor is required!

Video: Dr. Komarovsky about a wet cough in a child

A wet cough in a child is not always an indicator of the presence of a disease. It is considered a normal physiological process if your baby coughs up to 10-15 times during the day. So local immunity reacts to interaction with viruses, dust, bacteria. Coughing in the morning in children indicates drying out of the nasopharynx during sleep, and the respiratory tract tends to get rid of the mucus accumulated during the night. How to behave to parents if a child has a wet cough, find out by watching our video:

Dry cough is a typical phenomenon for the initial stage of a number of respiratory diseases. It usually lasts only a few days, after which it transforms into wet (productive). But there are times when a cough does not go away for a long time, while remaining unproductive. This condition is especially painful for children under one year old.

As Dr. Komarovsky explains, coughing at any age is a natural reaction aimed at clearing the airways.

Respiratory diseases should be accompanied by a cough, and you should not rush to suppress it. But if it becomes protracted and does not bring relief, you need to figure out the reasons and take action.

Possible duration and causes of dry cough

  • acute - lasts for several days, then is replaced by wet;
  • - does not last longer than 3 weeks, but does not bother more than 3 months;
  • chronic, lasting more than 3 months, renewing throughout the year.

The latter variety is more typical for adults, and in young children (up to a year and older), an acute and prolonged cough is more often observed.

Cough in a child or adult is not a disease that needs to be treated, but a symptom designed to draw attention to the problem. This is constantly emphasized by E.O. Komarovsky. This symptom is characteristic of about fifty different diseases and conditions. Its nature is not always infectious, often a dry cough is a manifestation. It can torment a person for a long time if contact with the allergen is not eliminated.

The causes of a prolonged dry cough in an adult, a schoolchild, a baby in the first year of life are different. In adulthood, it is more often caused by the costs of the profession (harmful working conditions), taking certain medications, heart failure, and oncological problems. In children, the cause is most often diseases of the ENT organs and the respiratory system of a viral nature, but bacterial infection is also possible, and at school age - an atypical infection.

No matter how painful coughing fits are, they do not pose a threat to life (unless accompanied by suffocation). Therefore, the pediatrician Komarovsky urges not to treat the child on his own “for cough”, but to sign up for a consultation at the clinic or wait for the local pediatrician to arrive.

In order to get advice from a qualified pediatrician, use the convenient service to find a doctor in your city. We do not advertise medical services, we offer a convenient tool. He will help you choose a doctor who correctly diagnoses the causes of your child's cough and prescribes effective treatment. Choose a doctor in your city based on reviews and cost of services and make an appointment at a convenient time for you.
The specialist must establish the reason why the baby coughs for a long time. It can be:

  • ARVI, influenza occurring against the background of weakened immunity and provoking external factors (passive smoking, dry air in the room);
  • accession of a secondary infection and the development of respiratory diseases of bacterial etiology - pharyngitis, tracheitis, bronchitis;
  • pneumonia, pleurisy;

  • atypical forms of pneumonia and bronchitis caused by chlamydia or mycoplasmas and occurring with relapses;
  • whooping cough, measles, false croup (from the 4th year of life, children rarely get sick with it, it is more often observed up to 3 years);
  • tuberculosis of the respiratory system, which in recent years has increasingly affected children.

Causes of a cough that are not related to the respiratory system

In one of his programs, he described a case: a child had a cough for six months, they preferred to treat him with expectorant syrups, but the cause of the problem was never found out. This is fundamentally wrong, symptomatic treatment is ineffective, and etiotropic treatment is different for each disease. Not always the cause of a prolonged cough lies in diseases of the respiratory system. It can be caused by such diseases and factors:

  • - a serious disease of the body as a whole, and not just the bronchi. It can develop in a child as early as 2 years old, especially if before that he had recurrent bronchitis;

  • allergic reaction, hay fever;
  • reaction to household toxic substances;
  • migration of worm larvae in ascariasis;
  • some diseases and pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract.

Protracted cough in children is rarely associated with tumors, heart failure, pathology of the auditory nerve, but this possibility cannot be ruled out.

Another likely cause of a cough that does not go away for a long time: a small foreign object has entered the bronchi and constantly has an irritating effect. In such cases, the cough is dry, debilitating, and there are no symptoms of the inflammatory process.

What to do with a prolonged dry cough

First of all, as already mentioned, consult a doctor, undergo an examination, diagnose the disease and treat it.

And to relieve cough, use the remedies recommended by a specialist in accordance with the age of the child and the nature of the underlying disease. Evgeny Olegovich Komarovsky names 2 universal measures that are indicated for coughing of any nature, especially if it is dry:

  • humidification of the air, prevention of drying of the mucous membrane;
  • drinking plenty of fluids helps loosen phlegm.

Also, Dr. Komarovsky recommends regularly monitoring the position of the body of a child who is prescribed bed rest. He should sit up in bed more often, and not lie in the same position for a long time. With coughing fits that develop mainly at night, it is necessary to place the pillow at a different angle (higher than usual).

If there is no indication for bed rest, physical activity should be moderate. Sweating, the child loses fluid, and this leads to thickening of sputum and the development of an unproductive cough. Scream, laughter, crying put an additional burden on the mucous membrane and can also provoke another attack.

The following factors also play an important role:

  • minimal use of substances with a pungent odor;
  • installation of climate technology, temperature and humidity control in the children's room, regular airing and wet cleaning, elimination of "dust collectors";
  • the use of hypoallergenic detergents, underwear and bedding should be made of natural fabric without dyes;
  • daily, if there is no acute inflammatory process;
  • sparing diet during the period of illness. It is not necessary to force even a healthy child to eat, and especially a sick one. This will be confirmed by any specialist, in particular, Dr. Komarovsky. Food should be hypoallergenic, the use of hot spices, exotic products is unacceptable.

Cough medicines

Dry and wet cough require different treatment, the second should in no case be suppressed. But with an unproductive cough, especially when it does not go away in any way, it interferes with proper sleep and food intake, the use of antitussive drugs may be indicated. Pediatrician Komarovsky claims that the only disease in which drugs that depress the cough center (Libeksin, Sinekod) should be taken is whooping cough. In this case, the nature of the cough is such that expectorants and mucolytics cannot alleviate it.

It is possible to treat children up to a year with antitussive drugs only on the recommendation of a pediatrician, and it is necessary to coordinate the dosage with him.

It is also justified to take these drugs at night so that the child can sleep normally. In other cases, mucolytics will also be safer and more effective. They help not only with a wet cough, but also increase the likelihood of an early transition from unproductive to productive. However, Dr. Komarovsky claims that expectorant syrups are intended mainly for the complacency of parents. In foreign pediatrics, such drugs are not used, and a similar effect is achieved with the help of heavy drinking.

You can also resort to: warm water or milk with honey (in the absence of allergies), milk with the addition of butter, soda mixed with slightly alkaline mineral water, chicken broth. Such funds can be taken for a long period without fear of side effects. Therefore, with a cough that does not go away for weeks and months, this is a good adjuvant therapy. But it is auxiliary, we must not forget about the treatment of the underlying disease.

Treating the Cause of a Cough

In diseases caused by bacteria, the cough is often productive, it can be dry in the first days after the addition of a secondary infection. Regardless of the nature of the cough, antibiotic therapy is indicated. E.O Komarovsky emphasizes that it is impossible to treat bronchitis, pneumonia and other diseases of a bacterial nature with folk remedies, without antibiotics. They are also required for whooping cough. For atypical forms, a specific one is required, to which mycoplasmas and chlamydia are sensitive.

If tuberculosis is detected in a child, it is necessary to carefully calculate the dosage of the anti-tuberculosis drug, taking into account the patient's weight. Ascariasis requires taking antihelminthic drugs, hay fever and other allergic reactions - antihistamines. With bronchial asthma, you can not do without bronchodilators. Particular attention should also be paid to the elimination of provoking factors and the prevention of exacerbations.

The appearance of any type of cough in a child is always unpleasant. Often parents do not want to resort to the help of pharmaceutical preparations, preferring natural remedies. If cough treatment in children with folk remedies is required quickly, Komarovsky recommends using special compresses, decoctions and tinctures. You can find out more about what a well-known pediatrician advises to use below.

Proper treatment of wet cough in children

The following folk recipes will help to cope with a wet cough:

  1. cabbage drink. It is necessary to squeeze the leaves of fresh cabbage so that half a glass of juice is obtained. Stir with 0.5 tsp. honey or sugar and heat. Give your child 1⁄4 cup, 4 times a day.
  2. Blackcurrant juice. Berry (3 tbsp) is ground with sugar (2 tsp) and poured with a glass of warm water. Mix well and give the baby a drink. Take half a glass 2 times a day.
  3. Fig porridge. You need to take dried or fresh figs (50 g) and chop in any way. Mix with 0.5 tsp. liquid honey and 3 tbsp. warm milk. Give the child 2 tsp. no more than 4 times a day.

In addition to the above recipes, you can use a cabbage leaf smeared with honey. It is applied on the back of the baby, in the area between the shoulder blades (for 15 minutes). You also need to remember that treatment with folk methods should be carried out only after consulting a doctor.

Treatment of dry cough in children with compresses

A dry cough is much more difficult for a baby than a wet one. In dealing with this condition compresses will help. The use of such funds is based on an increase in blood flow in the area where it was applied. This in turn helps to reduce pain and inflammation. It should be remembered that compresses should not be used for any skin diseases, wounds, scratches and cuts.

Dry cough in children can be treated with a compress with boiled potatoes. Then the finished root crop is crushed, half a glass of vodka is added to it and mixed. They make a flat cake from warm potatoes, wrap it in a thin cloth and put it on the child's back (on the area between the shoulder blades). Then the baby is dressed in pajamas and wrapped in a blanket. After 40 minutes, the compress can be removed. It is allowed to carry out from 2 to 3 such procedures per day.

If it is necessary to treat cough in children with folk remedies quickly, Komarovsky recommends using oil compress. In order to cook it, you need to heat the vegetable oil in a water bath. Then a towel is wetted in oil and applied to the baby's upper back. Waxed paper is laid on top and wrapped in a downy scarf. The child should lie down with such a compress for at least 2 hours. During this time, the bronchi will warm up, and the cough will become less noticeable.

Cough treatment with folk remedies

One of the most annoying types of cough is barking. In this condition, it is recommended gargle with special solutions. This must be done several times a day, an hour before meals or an hour after it. Using this method, you can quickly remove inflammation, relieve pain and moisturize the airways. Cough treatment with folk remedies can be carried out based on the following recipes:

  • warm water (200 ml) with the addition of 0.5 tsp. soda;
  • a decoction based on eucalyptus, sage and calendula (1 teaspoon per 2 cups of water);
  • chamomile infusion (for 2 tsp per glass of boiling water).

If the cough is very strong, rinsing will help. water with apple cider vinegar(for 1 glass of warm liquid 0.5 tsp of the product). Also, to alleviate a dry cough, you need to drink as much liquid as possible. Very effective cranberry fruit drinks.

Cough lozenge based on flour and honey

If you need to treat cough in children with folk remedies quickly, Komarovsky advises to cook special flatbread. To do this, take 3 tbsp. flour and exactly the same amount of water, honey and vodka. Knead the dough and form it into a small ball. Flatten with your hands or a rolling pin. Put on the baby's chest, trying to ensure that such a compress does not touch the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe heart.

Then the cake is covered with plastic wrap and fixed. This can be done with bandages or a diaper. The duration of such a procedure should be at least an hour. To enhance the therapeutic effect, you can cover the child with a duvet. During this time, the sputum will begin to liquefy and the bronchi will clear.

It should be remembered that the cake should not be used in children suffering from skin diseases (abscesses, boils, etc.). In addition, such a kind of compress is not used if the baby has wounds or scratches on the skin. If the child complains of itching during the procedure, it is urgent to remove the cake and wash the application site with warm water and soap.

How to deal with this condition quickly?

If you need to cope with a cough very quickly, they will help mustard plasters. They not only help improve blood flow, but also warm the bronchi. Mustard plasters can be used in babies after 3 months. If there are no contraindications, it is allowed to use wraps based on such a burning powder. To do this, prepare a solution of mustard powder (0.5 tbsp) and boiling water (0.5 l), and then cool to a warm state.

Wet a towel in this solution, wring it out and lay it on the back of the baby. Then for 2-3 minutes they cover the crumbs with sheets. After that, the cloth is removed and the remains of mustard are gently washed off the skin of the child. This recipe is perfect for very young children. For those who are older, it is recommended to use mustard plasters.

The sheets are moistened in warm water and laid on the area between the shoulder blades and under them. To make the cough go faster, you can put mustard plasters on the child's chest. In this case, you need to avoid the place where the heart is located. Duration of the procedure will depend on the age of the baby and on how much he tolerates such a procedure:

  • from a year to 2.5 years - 2 minutes;
  • from 2.5 to 6 years - 4 minutes;
  • from 7 years and above - up to 15 minutes.

As for the frequency of procedures, it is impossible more than 2 times a day. This can irritate the baby's skin. Contraindications to the use of such drugs are hypersensitivity to mustard, pustules and microtraumas on the skin. In addition, it is impossible to carry out such treatment at elevated body temperature of the child.

Pediatrician Komarovsky advises to be careful if the child has a paroxysmal dry cough. If it occurs at night at regular intervals, then it is likely that the baby has whooping cough. The cough can be so severe that it sometimes even leads to vomiting. In this case, you need to forget about self-treatment and urgently call an ambulance. If the cause of a strong cough was a cold, then in addition to folk remedies it is recommended to observe the following rules:

  1. In the room where the sick baby is located, the normal temperature regime (from 21 to 25 degrees) must be observed. In addition, you need to carefully monitor the humidity of the air, especially in winter.
  2. Until the cough disappears, the child should not be completely washed. It is allowed to soar legs.
  3. Before going to bed, the baby needs to ventilate the room well. Of course, in order to avoid a new outbreak of illness, the child must be removed from the room for a while.

Healthy and happy children are what every mother dreams of. The smaller the baby, the more difficult it is to endure various diseases due to the unfinished nervous, muscular, and immune systems of the body. Viruses, bacterial pathogens, allergens, infections can become a source of illness. The wisdom of mother nature is so great that with a variety of symptoms, the body hints to doctors and parents at the causes of problems. What does a wet cough in a child indicate and how dangerous is it?

Causes of wet cough in a child

Cough is an increased exhalation through the mouth, caused by factors that irritate the respiratory tract receptors. The physiological processes occurring in this case - contraction of the muscle tissue of the larynx, increased muscle tone of the bronchial system, tension of the abdominal muscles - are reflex. The cough reflex is unconditional, it acts as a protective function of the body, which allows you to remove foreign bodies, other irritating objects.

The presence of a wet cough in a child in most cases is not a dangerous, life-threatening and health-threatening symptom in general. Doctors call this type of mucus expectoration productive: the muscles of the bronchial tree contract, getting rid of interfering foreign bodies - sputum, dust particles, allergens. Pulmonologists, pediatricians insist - neither wet nor dry cough is treated! It is necessary to identify the cause of the occurrence and act on it.

So, the reasons for the productive excretion of sputum in a child are:

  • Colds, viral and other diseases.
    1. Various respiratory tract infections.
    2. bacterial complications.
    3. Bronchial asthma.
    4. Chronic diseases.
    5. Oncology.
  • Allergy.
  • Runny nose or snot.
  • Physiological causes (often found in infants when milk enters the respiratory tract).
  • Teething. From 8 months, most babies have their first teeth. Abundant salivation, inflammation of the mucous membranes become "provocateurs".

In what cases should the appearance of a wet cough in a child cause an emergency response by the parents, the presence and supervision of a doctor:

  • Child's age (1 year). A wet cough in an infant is dangerous due to the underdevelopment of body systems and the inability to cough effectively. While the baby is not able to sit down, sputum accumulates in the bronchi. A wet, gurgling cough can lead to vomiting and cause breathing problems.
  • The presence of a temperature above 38 for three or more days.
  • Sudden prolonged seizures in a child.
  • The presence of shortness of breath with a frequency of:
    • more than 60 breaths - in infants up to 3 months;
    • more than 50 breaths per minute - in a one-year-old child;
    • 40 or more breaths in a child 2 years of age or older.
  • The presence of wheezing, wheezing cough, barking may indicate pneumonia that occurs without fever or be a bacteriological complication of an untreated viral infection.
  • When abundant sputum in a child has a greenish tint; admixture of blood; reddish color.
  • Persistent wet cough in children aged 3 years and older, accompanied by a decrease / loss of appetite; lethargy; drowsiness.

Folk remedies for cough with phlegm

When treating with various methods, one should focus on the age of the child and the nature of the course of the disease. The absence of fever, the presence of appetite, accompanied by a wet cough after an illness, should not cause acute anxiety of parents. Babies up to a year require special attention and care. When a cough appears in a baby, it is imperative to call a doctor at home! Severe seizures, up to vomiting, can be triggered by:

  • Pertussis stick. This is one of the few cases when the cough goes away after taking drugs that provide inhibition of the cough center in the brain. Self-medication is strictly prohibited, and in order to make a diagnosis through laboratory tests, it is necessary to confirm the presence of whooping cough in the child's body.
  • Stenosis of the larynx (laryngotracheitis). Urgently call an ambulance in this case: you and your baby will need hospitalization! While you are waiting for the doctor, fill the bathroom with hot water after closing the door. Hold the baby in a humid, warm microclimate, trying to calm him down as much as possible.

The remaining cases of wet cough in infants up to a year old, as well as in older children and adolescents, are perfectly treatable with the help of physiotherapy - inhalation, chest massage; breathing exercises; light physical activity; stay outdoors. Consider in detail how to quickly get rid of a wet cough.

Inhalations

An excellent means of "transferring" a cough from dry to wet, acting on the upper respiratory tract with warm air, essential oils, saturated vapors of soda, salt, iodine, are inhalations. Remember from childhood the way to treat a cold is to “breathe over boiled potatoes”? So, our grandmothers and mothers were right: warm air, warming the trachea and nasopharynx, thins the mucus, improving the motor function of the ciliated epithelium. This method is ideal for those who accumulate phlegm in the throat and upper tracts.

Modern medicine for the convenience of children and parents suggests using special inhalers:

  • Cheaper and simpler versions are represented by a bath and a tube with nozzles.
  • A nebulizer is a medical device for use at home. By inhaling liquids (drugs, soda water, etc.) turned into an aerosol state, viscous sputum is excellently liquefied in a child.

Expectorant massage

Chest massage performed at home by parents or a specialist is effective, helping to rid the child of a wet cough. Light tapping movements; wide sweeping strokes with pressure on the chest, performed from top to bottom; kneading and pinching will increase blood flow to the bronchi and lungs, stimulating the thinning of mucus and the excretion of sputum.

Other effective remedies

Herbal decoctions, tinctures of berries have long been known as effective means of getting rid of a child's cough. To make a dry cough turn into a wet one, brew 4 tbsp for 0.5 liters of water. breast collection. Rosehip tincture (100 g of dry berries per liter of water) will raise the tone, saturating the body with vitamin C; linden decoction will enhance the expectorant component, thinning sputum; Chamomile tea, being a natural antiseptic, will help get rid of bacteria and viruses faster.

Good for a child in the treatment of wet cough breathing exercises. Helps to relax the cough center, reduces the frequency of urges, helps to normalize the work of the ciliated epithelium of the respiratory system. To improve lung function by "pumping" larger volumes of air, buy your child balloons. By combining the game with breathing procedures when inflating the latter, you will help the baby.

expectorant medicines

The list of expectorants for "getting" a productive cough in a child is conditionally divided into 2 groups:

  • Medicines that thin the phlegm.
  • Drugs that improve the excretion of sputum from the bronchi, lungs.

The form of the drug - tablets, mixture or syrup - depends on the age of the child. All drugs are divided into natural and synthetic. The advantages of the former include a minimum of chemical additives that the child’s body weakened by the disease will receive when taken orally. The downside is the unpredictable reaction of the body to natural ingredients: allergies sometimes lead to increased wet cough and seizures.

Syrup

When thinking about what to give a child, mothers of small children should pay attention to chemical dyes and additives that improve the taste of syrups: they can cause allergies, causing an increase in the cough reflex. Syrups are presented on the pharmaceutical:

  • Reflex effects on the respiratory system:
    1. Alteyka;
    2. Pectolvan ivy;
    3. Stoptussin Phyto syrup;
    4. Bronchicum etc.
  • Resorptive action, improving mucus secretion:
    1. Amtersol;
    2. Ambroxol;
    3. Carbocysteine.

potion

Dry mixture for children is a drug of combined action, relieves a wet cough, normalizes the activity of the cilia of the bronchial epithelium. Refers to natural herbal remedies, indicated for children from infancy. It is taken orally in liquid form: the powder is diluted with boiled water in the proportions indicated on the insert. Exceeding the dosage is not allowed!

Tablets

The tablet form of drugs is more suitable for middle-aged and older children. Tablets contain fewer dyes, and in terms of the impact on wet cough indicators, they are as effective for a child as syrups and mixtures. A small list of expectorants:

  • Mukaltin;
  • Sinupret;
  • Cough tablets;
  • Evkabal and others.

How to treat a wet cough without fever according to Komarovsky

Children's cough often occurs as a result of a viral / bacterial infection of the body (ARVI, bronchitis, laryngitis, snot, etc.) or due to a violation of the optimal living conditions for an individual child (dust, mold, dry air, etc.). Methods and means of treating wet cough depend on the causes of the disease, the age of the child and the course of the disease. How to cure phlegm in a child?

Gather and calm down, and then take a series of measures aimed at:

  • facilitating the process of coughing, helping to thin thick, viscous mucus;
  • creating humidity in the room up to 60-70%;
  • ensuring the absence of allergens, even if the child is not allergic;
  • discontinuation of medication when a wet productive cough appears;
  • a categorical ban on taking antitussive drugs (with the exception of whooping cough, croup) with a wet cough.

What to do if sputum does not come out

If a child has a wet cough turned into a dry one, it is necessary to understand the reasons:

  1. Taking antitussive drugs disables the natural reflexes of clearing the airways. Taken on their own, for other purposes, they can turn a child's wet productive cough into a barking dry one. The solution will be the rejection of drugs, drinking plenty of water, taking mucolytic drugs.
  2. Taking antibiotics for ARVI, the mutually exclusive use of certain medications can cause a dry cough, although at the initial stage the child had a wet cough.
  3. After a short-term improvement after a cold, the transformation of a wet cough into a dry one indicates the lowering of the infection into the lower respiratory tract or the addition of a bacterial lesion of the body. In this case, an immediate visit to the doctor is required!

Video: Dr. Komarovsky about a wet cough in a child

A wet cough in a child is not always an indicator of the presence of a disease. It is considered a normal physiological process if your baby coughs up to 10-15 times during the day. So local immunity reacts to interaction with viruses, dust, bacteria. Coughing in the morning in children indicates drying out of the nasopharynx during sleep, and the respiratory tract tends to get rid of the mucus accumulated during the night. How to behave to parents if a child has a wet cough, find out by watching our video:

Residual cough in a child - how to treat. Quick relief from residual cough in a child

The treatment of a cold is left behind, but you still can't get rid of a cough? The mucous membrane of the respiratory tract in a child after SARS recovers slowly and, together with a weakened immune system, an unpleasant residual cough appears. How dangerous is it to health and how to cure a cough in a child?

Why does residual cough happen in children?

To cure a viral infection, bronchitis, pneumonia is only the first stage on the road to recovery. A weakened child's body, especially after taking antibiotics, needs time to recover. And all the while, sensitive bronchi use the most common defense mechanism - coughing, which prevents the airways from becoming clogged with phlegm, mucus or pus. Therefore, parents need to know the causes, symptoms and how to properly treat residual cough in a child.

Causes

A persistent cough in a child after a respiratory disease is more likely to be a normal variant than a rare occurrence. To recover and develop immunity, the baby's body needs some time. The viruses remaining after the illness are no longer so strong, but they still continue to irritate the bronchi and trachea, causing a residual cough, which, with proper therapy, should pass in two to three weeks. Among other reasons, when a child has a strong cough without fever:

  • recurrence of an inflammatory or infectious disease;
  • reaction of the respiratory tract to contact with cold air, excessive physical activity;
  • allergies to dust, pet hair, cigarette smoke;
  • foreign body;
  • stress, nervousness;
  • a rare disease of the stomach - gastroesophageal reflux.

Symptoms

The situation, when there is a feeling that the cold is not going to go away and the child does not stop coughing for a long time, should alert the parents. At this moment, according to some signs, it is necessary to be able to determine where the beginning of a new disease is, and where the baby has stopped getting sick, and is only subject to residual effects. The most common symptoms of a persistent cough are:

  • periodic manifestation of the residual phenomenon, when the cough itself is shallow, there is no sputum, it often appears in the morning;
  • there is no temperature, snot, intoxication and other signs of a cold;
  • within three weeks after completion of the course of therapy, the cough becomes less intense and rare;
  • the baby’s immune system, recovering, weakens the cough and copes with it, even without treatment.

When is a cough dangerous in a child after an illness?

Fear should be caused by a situation when a child has a ringing cough for a month, a temperature has appeared, or the baby complains of pain. One must be able to distinguish any of these symptoms from residual effects and, if suspected, contact a pediatrician so that the baby undergoes an additional examination. What is the danger of a prolonged or incessant cough in children? Behind this, the development of chronic bronchitis, whooping cough, pneumonia, or a chest injury that makes inhalation and exhalation painful, tuberculosis may begin. In these cases, serious medical attention is required.

How to treat residual cough

If there is confidence that these are residual effects after an acute respiratory viral infection or some other viral infection, then drug treatment may not be needed. After a few weeks, the respiratory system normalizes, the mucous membrane clears up and the residual cough will pass if you often ventilate the room, do wet cleaning, and use an ultrasonic humidifier. Then how to treat residual cough in a child? Quickly get rid of an obsessive cough will help folk remedies, inhalation, in special cases - medication.

Medical treatment

To help your baby's airways clear more quickly of phlegm or mucus that accumulates with a cold, a treatment program to eliminate residual effects may include medication. According to the nature of the cough and the general assessment of the state of the child's body, the pediatrician will prescribe thinners (dry cough) or expectorants (wet cough) or drugs with spasmodic or enveloping properties. To reduce irritation of the mucosa and to cope with residual effects help:


Folk remedies

If the child coughs heavily, then the conspiracy is unlikely to help influence the process. Among folk remedies, there are other useful recipes that help to remove a dry frequent cough in a child with the help of decoctions, products prepared in a special way, compresses. How to cure residual cough in a child with folk methods:

  • Warm drink with milk, and this product is combined with honey, soda, butter, figs, goat fat, mineral water. A tablespoon of another ingredient is taken for one glass of heated liquid, and milk is diluted with mineral water in a ratio of 1: 1. Such a cough treatment in children with the help of folk remedies is considered the most popular, and if you give a warm drink to a baby at night, it helps to improve sleep, remove a barking cough, and cure a throat.
  • Egg yolks ground with sugar (chicken, quail) are a well-known eggnog. If a child coughs up vomiting, a whistle is heard, then this folk remedy will not help, but such a sweet treatment can alleviate a hard cough. To make the taste even more pleasant, honey, cocoa, citrus juice are added to the pounded yolks, but on condition that the baby is not allergic to these products. To prepare a serving, you need to take one yolk and a tablespoon of granulated sugar, grind thoroughly to a lush white mass, and then add any of the additional ingredients up to a teaspoon.
  • Herbal infusions are prepared in the evening, a thermos is used for this, and the proportions are simple: 1 tbsp is taken per glass of boiling water. l. vegetable raw materials. To make the treatment of cough in children faster, chamomile, linden blossom, St. John's wort, sage, green cones are taken for infusion.
  • Instead of mustard plasters and ready-made pharmaceutical ointments, it is better to do rubbing at night if the child has a wet cough, with pork, goat, badger, bear fat, and then wrap the baby well.
  • Compresses are another good folk remedy if the child does not have a dry cough for a long time, and boiled and mashed potatoes, bread crumb, cabbage leaf with honey are suitable for the procedure.

Inhalation with dry cough without fever

The search for an effective method of how to cure dry cough in children, if the process is a residual effect, leads to treatment with inhalation. To soften is the main goal of this type of therapy, and steam is ideal for this. The baby will have to breathe over hot vapors, and the liquid is still gurgling, so parents should be very careful and monitor the baby. Inhalation is well suited for those who suffer from chronic cough, and the duration of the procedure takes no more than a quarter of an hour.

In the absence of allergic reactions, essential oils are suitable, for example, pine, juniper, eucalyptus. Dr. Komarovsky advises doing inhalations with medicinal herbs (string, ledum, coltsfoot), and use either inhalers or a nebulizer during the procedure. An effective and simple folk method is to breathe over a pot of potatoes, covering your head with a towel on top.

Video: how to relieve residual cough in a child


In children, a cold occurs very often, and this especially applies to infants. A runny nose without fever occurs due to the fact that the respiratory tract is cleared of various kinds of contaminants. This phenomenon is considered normal and does not require cause for concern. But sometimes a runny nose and cough without fever can be a reason to see a doctor. There are many reasons for the occurrence of such symptoms, so the task of the doctor is to find the one and eliminate it.

What to do when a dry cough does not clear your throat, you can find out by reading this article.

Causes

As a rule, a runny nose and cough without fever are symptoms of a cold, caused by various viruses.

The baby's immunity begins to recognize pathogenic microorganisms and enters into a fight with them. But sometimes it can be very difficult to recognize the virus, so it easily penetrates into the cells of the body. For this reason, with a bacterial lesion, the temperature rise occurs almost immediately, but with a viral infection, the indicators remain normal.

Why a dry cough occurs without signs of a cold is indicated in the article.

If you leave viral rhinitis untreated, then the cause of such neglect of health can be severe inflammation of the sinuses. In other words, the child will develop sinusitis. It is also important to understand that along with mucus, microbes can get into the throat and trachea. If you do not provide the crumbs with timely treatment, then he may develop the following complications:

  • Pharyngitis, laryngitis;
  • nasopharyngitis;
  • Angina;
  • Bronchitis, tracheitis and pneumonia.

How to treat tracheid cough, you can learn from the article.

On the video - the child has a runny nose and cough without fever, the reason is possibly a red throat:

How to treat bronchitis, you can find out by reading this article.

A viral infection greatly weakens the protective functions of the body, as a result of which a bacterial infection can also be connected. SARS very often activate other pathogenic microorganisms, which lead to inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. Based on this, parents are obliged to understand that they cannot do without the help of a doctor, even if cough and runny nose are not accompanied by an increase in temperature.

The next reason for the development of such symptoms is an allergic reaction. Allergic rhinitis occurs in patients who have been in a dusty room for a long time. Very often this occurs due to rare wet cleaning. A runny nose can be a reaction to flowering plants, flying insects, baby cosmetics and chemicals. Often, even healthy children are struck by a cough and runny nose due to the very dry air in the room.

If a dry cough and runny nose without fever disturbs the baby for a long time, then these are very disturbing symptoms. Against the background of an allergic reaction in young patients, bronchial asthma may develop. In this sule, it is very important to help the baby in time, only in this way you will double the chances that your child will grow up healthy.

How to treat a dry paroxysmal cough in an adult is indicated in the article.

Therapeutic activities

To overcome a viral infection in the body of a child, it is necessary to have drugs from the antiviral group. Without them, treatment will not have a positive effect. But before that, a mandatory consultation of a specialist is needed, only he will be able to determine which of the available drugs will be the most effective and what is its dosage. The group of antiviral drugs includes the following:


This is not all drugs, these are allowed to be used by children from the first day of life. To increase the fight against the disease, it is worth using interferonogenesis inducers in the treatment:

How to treat a wet cough and runny nose without fever, you can find out by reading this article.

To raise vitality and the body's defenses, it is worth taking echinacea tincture. At the time of treatment of small patients, it is very difficult to do without medications, the action of which is aimed at combating the symptoms. When a child has a stuffy nose and it is difficult for him to breathe, vasoconstrictor nasal drops can be used:


But don't get carried away with them either. It is allowed to use drops for no more than 5 days, otherwise you can earn allergic rhinitis.

What to do when a baby has a runny nose without fever can be found in this article.

When a child is tormented by a wet cough, it is necessary to prescribe drugs whose action is aimed at thinning the sputum and its rapid discharge. For these purposes, it is necessary to use tincture of licorice root, marshmallow, Mukaltin, ACC.

To eliminate dry cough, you can use Tusuprex, Pertussin, Libeksin. Prolonged cough perfectly eliminates herbal chest collection. But it is not worth suppressing the cough once again, as sputum discharge can be disturbed, and inflammation will occur in the lungs.

To relieve swelling and allergies that have arisen against the background of the inflammatory process, it is necessary to use antihistamines. Here the following types of drugs are in great demand:


When treating a cold at home, inhalations can be performed. Thanks to them, it is possible to direct drugs directly into the respiratory tract. For such treatment, it is allowed to use both special inhalers and improvised means. All components of drugs penetrate with steam into the upper respiratory tract and cleanse the mucous membrane of microbes, relieve sore throat, cough and hoarseness in the voice.

Can there be a cough during teething, it will become clear after reading this article.

You can use steam inhalation, time-tested. This is the inhalation of steam from boiled potatoes. It is necessary to thoroughly wash the vegetable and boil it, drain the water and bend over the hot potato, covering it with a towel on top. Give out a couple for 20 minutes. If you do such manipulations with a baby of 3-5 years old, then they must be performed together, otherwise the baby may get burned.

When a cold is expressed by a runny nose, it is worth using homemade nasal drops. For these purposes, you can use Kalanchoe, aloe, garlic and onions.

If you decide to use aloe juice, then it is best that its age does not exceed 3-4 years. Dilute the resulting juice with water in a ratio of 1:10 and drip 3-5 drops of medicine into each nasal passage. You should not combine aloe juice with drugs such as Naphthyzin or Sanorin. Otherwise, it will lead to the development of sinusitis.

How to treat a wheezing cough is indicated in the article.

Features of the treatment of infants

If a baby has a cold, which is characterized by coughing, runny nose and sneezing without fever, then you should immediately go to the clinic. After a thorough diagnosis, the doctor will be able to determine the cause of the pathology and prescribe the appropriate treatment.

The video tells about the causes of a runny nose without fever in infants:

First of all, all actions should be aimed at increasing the immune forces of the body. For this, the baby must be given Interferon and Grippferon. Bury the child's nose drop by drop into each nasal passage 2 times throughout the day. If the baby is already 6 months old, then you can give him children's Anaferon for the treatment of influenza and the prevention of colds. A tablet of this drug should be dissolved in warm water, and then given to the baby to drink. The number of doses per day should not exceed 3 times.

How to cure asthmatic cough is indicated in the description of this article.

The sooner parents begin to treat a cold, the sooner it will begin to have a positive effect. The presented preparations will prevent damage to the baby's body during an influenza epidemic, when one of the adults has already fallen ill with it.

Treatment of rhinitis during a cold involves the use of Aquamaris or Solin.

These are saline solutions that need to be dripped into the nose of a small patient. If there is severe nasal congestion, then you can buy aloe extract at the pharmacy. With a cold, inhalation with the use of garlic has a positive effect. It is necessary to grind this product on a grater and let the baby breathe. It is not permissible to use vasoconstrictor medications for an infant.

For the treatment of cough, you can give the baby an infusion of chamomile in a dessert spoon 3 times a day. It can only be taken by a child whose age is already more than 6 months. To irrigate the throat, it is worth using the Tantum Verde spray, doing the procedure 2 times a day.

Mom's milk has a disinfecting effect, so a cold baby needs to be breastfed as often as possible. In addition, it is worth providing the child with plenty of fluids.

When coughing crumbs, you can make a vodka compress. To do this, mix vodka and water in equal proportions, soak cotton wool in it and lay it on the throat, cover it with gauze and cellophane on top. It is necessary to perform such activities with extreme caution, otherwise it will be possible to burn the delicate skin of the baby. It is also allowed to use mustard plasters, here it is necessary to be extremely careful, put them only through 3 layers of gauze and after the approval of such treatment by a doctor.

If a child has a cold accompanied by a strong cough, then he is allowed to use Mukaltin from medicines. This medicine does not have side effects, as it is made on the basis of natural ingredients.

What does Komarovsky think

According to the well-known pediatrician Komarovsky, during the treatment of cough and runny nose without fever, parents should direct all their efforts to keep the mucous membranes of the nose moist. Here it is necessary to regularly fill the child's room with fresh air, so that the temperature in the room does not exceed 21 degrees, and the air humidity is not lower than 75%.

The doctor gives parents the following advice:

  1. Regularly irrigate the nasal mucosa with saline. You can buy it at any pharmacy, as well as make it yourself. You just need to dissolve a dessert spoon of sea salt in a glass of warm water.
  2. Apply the drug Ekteritsid, which has an anti-inflammatory and softening effect.
  3. Perform inhalation using a nebulizer or improvised means. Medicinal herbs and essential oils are excellent for these purposes.

On the video - Dr. Komarovsky talks about a cough without a runny nose and fever:

In order for your child to avoid colds, Komarovsky recommends that you follow the following prevention rules:

  1. Perform hardening of the body, so often walk with the baby on the street in active games.
  2. The diet of the crumbs should be filled with vitamins and minerals.

A runny nose and cough are two unpleasant symptoms that indicate that a virus has settled in the body. A viral disease can proceed without a temperature, which indicates a strong immunity of the child. But in this case, treatment is a necessary measure. It is important here to maintain the immune strength of the baby, otherwise the body cannot cope and various complications arise.