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The child has a dry cough: how to treat?
Last reviewed: 18.10.2021
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If the child has a dry cough, first, find out the causes that cause it. It is necessary to clearly understand what constitutes a cough and what is its main function. Cough manifests against the background of various respiratory diseases and is a protective reaction of the body necessary to eliminate irritant agents.
To differentiate the child's dry cough and establish its origin, you need to consider such characteristics: cough is acute or chronic, dry or productive.
What causes the child to dry cough?
In a child, dry cough is often a companion of acute respiratory viral infections - pharynx, trachea, larynx enter the viruses, resulting in irritation, inflammation, the mucosa becomes dry, a feeling of tickling and tickling arises in the throat. In such cases, regular moistening of the mucosa is shown, for example, with herbal inhalations with chamomile, calendula, sage, and frequent rinses. Do not forget to ventilate the room regularly. At a bronchial asthma or an allergy on pollen of a grass do not use.
If a child has a dry cough lasting more than three weeks, and other symptoms are usually absent, it is called chronic. Cough can be a sign of many diseases, the most common of which are the following: a runny nose, an allergy, bronchitis, bronchial asthma, as well as getting a foreign body or taking medications.
A very strong or protracted cough can cause somatic or psychological complications that adversely affect the quality of life of the child and those close to him, so if the child has a dry cough that leads to a worsening of the state of health, the doctor should be consulted immediately, as only a specialist can understand the symptoms, differentiate disease and make a diagnosis, and then appoint a course of treatment.
How does the child develop a dry cough?
Acute cough may accompany symptoms such as a runny nose, weakness, loss of appetite, fever, pain and discomfort in the throat.
The child has a dry cough that is associated with an allergic reaction, has a paroxysmal nature, starts suddenly, can last a long enough time. Depending on the allergen that caused the cough, the method of treatment is selected in each case by an individually attending physician.
How to treat dry cough in a child?
It must be remembered that if a child has a dry cough, it is necessary to drink plenty of warm liquid, as this improves sputum smearing and normalizes the water balance. An effective method is also thermal inhalation in the absence of temperature (children under the age of four years do inhalation is highly undesirable). Remember that antitussive drugs can cause various side effects and are prescribed only by a specialist. Cough in the morning usually happens with a cold, as a result of the fact that mucus from the nose falls into the respiratory. With a dry and moist cough with the formation of thick and viscous sputum, the doctor can prescribe mucolytics, which are available both in the form of tablets and in the form of syrups. Taking medications that dilute sputum can be combined with a massage procedure. To do the massage, fix the fingers in the area of the child's intercostals and perform lightly tapping movements on the chest, excluding the heart area. The duration of the massage can be about five minutes, it should be done two to three times a day. In a child, a dry cough, unlike a wet cough, can be caused not by sputum formation, but by irritation of cough receptors due to inflammation or thermal, physical or chemical exposure. Therefore, in such cases, dry cough does not bring relief to the body, but on the contrary, it can provoke the appearance of undesirable consequences. The child's dry cough is treated, based on the principle of suppressing the cough reflex, as there is essentially nothing to cough up. Frequent and intense cough entails an increase in intrathoracic pressure and can trigger the development of hypertension and other negative consequences.
Coughing is one of the most common problems with which parents bring a child to a doctor. If a child has a dry cough, this may be a symptom of various diseases, requires careful examination and observation by an experienced doctor. It is unacceptable to take medications and perform medical procedures without first consulting a pediatrician.