Coughing in a child is a fairly common occurrence, which parents of infants and older children encounter. This is the main danger. Many parents do not perceive a wet or dry cough in a child as a serious illness. But it does not arise just like that, spontaneously. Any cough, even in a mild form, has its own reasons. You can’t cure it qualitatively without recognizing the prerequisites. There are several reasons for coughing in childhood.
Coughing in a child: causes
To begin with, it is worth noting that sometimes coughing in young children is considered the norm, especially if it occurs in the morning. If this phenomenon does not occur more than 10 times a day, then you have nothing to worry about. Usually it does not affect the health of the child.
But if there is a constant coughing during the day, then you are faced with any violation in the body of the baby. The reasons for this phenomenon may lie in the following:
- Bronchitis.
- ARVI.
- ARI.
- Pneumonia.
- Runny nose.
- Allergic reactions.
- Severe inflammation of the adenoids.
- A particularly dangerous cause of cough is whooping cough. It occurs if the child suffers from shortness of breath, and attacks are repeated up to 50 times a day.
- Bronchial asthma.
- Diseases of the respiratory or circulatory system.
- Excessive physical exertion.
- Bronchitis.
- Foreign body stuck in the airways.
- Nervous tension.
Nervous coughing in a child is quite common. It is usually quiet, short and not accompanied by additional symptoms. If your child has experienced stress, you should pay attention to it. Perhaps he is constantly in a state of nervous tension. You need to eliminate the factors that provoked this in order to avoid mental health problems in the future.
Particular attention should be paid to the child if prolonged coughing occurs.
Prolonged cough in a child
Sometimes it happens that moms and dads forget to pay attention to important factors. For example, when a child began to cough. What to do at the beginning of the disease, they do not know. Then coughing becomes long-lasting.
This usually occurs with exacerbation of various diseases. If the treatment of the pathology was absent or was prescribed incorrectly, the disease does not recede and the cough in the child continues. It can be considered prolonged if the condition lasts more than a month.
Constant coughing over a long period of time requires a serious examination, which reveals the circumstances in which the disease developed, the living conditions of the child and the individual characteristics of the child's body. The kid must pass several tests, as well as undergo an examination with an X-ray.
Most often in this case, the diagnosis is made by excluding the least likely diseases from the list of possible.
The child began to cough: what to do with a dry cough
Dry cough is characterized by the fact that with it sputum does not stand out. It can be a symptom of the initial stage of development of many pathologies. Usually a few days after its appearance, sputum formation begins. But until this happens, it is necessary to begin to find out the cause of the appearance of dry cough. The prerequisites for its occurrence include:
- Bronchitis, laryngitis or tracheitis.
- A strong and painful dry cough, which appears periodically in the form of seizures, can indicate the occurrence of whooping cough.
- A rough and intermittent cough is a signal for the manifestation of diphtheria.
- Dry cough may be a symptom of tuberculosis.
- If a dry cough is accompanied by secretion of tears and a constant runny nose, you are dealing with an allergic reaction. In this case, you need to eliminate the allergen from the reach of the child.
- If the room in which the child lives is too dusty or the humidity is below normal, then in any case a dry cough will occur.
- Any paints, cigarette smoke, all kinds of detergents can become irritants.
- If the baby is tormented by pains in the abdomen or heartburn that occur in parallel with bouts of dry cough, then the cause of this is gastroesophageal reflux.
- A painful cough with shortness of breath can be a signal that a foreign object has got into the respiratory tract.
Often parents are concerned about the fact that the child constantly coughs at night. There is a scientific explanation for this.
Why does the baby cough at night
When the baby is lying, the mucus flows down towards the respiratory tract, so the main symptoms of the disease appear precisely at night. Then the most painful coughing attacks appear. They talk about the initial stage of development of pathologies.
But sometimes night coughing indicates that there is an allergen in the baby's room, provoking the development of appropriate reactions. It could be:
- Detergent with which you wash your baby’s bedding.
- Nightwear or bedding made from substandard fabrics.
- Toxic substances hidden inside a pillow, blanket or mattress.
- Toys next to the bed made of rubber or plastic of inadequate quality.
To identify an allergen, periodically remove suspicious objects from the child’s room. When the coughing stops, we can assume that the problem is solved.
Almost always, coughing is accompanied by high fever. However, if this symptom is absent, it is necessary to find out why.
Cough without fever
If the child is constantly coughing, and this is not accompanied by an increase in body temperature, you need to sound the alarm, since the causes of this phenomenon may be hidden in the following problems:
- Tuberculosis.
- Bronchitis.
- Tracheitis.
- Tonsillitis.
- Bronchial asthma. This pathology occurs if, in addition to coughing, a child develops asthma attacks.
- The presence of an allergen in the house or an increased concentration of dust in the air.
However, the most dangerous cause of coughing without fever is the ingestion of a foreign object into the respiratory tract. This phenomenon should be discussed in more detail.
Foreign object in the airways
If the child suddenly began to suffer a severe cough with signs of suffocation, it is necessary to call an ambulance. Most likely, a foreign object has entered the respiratory tract.
If the child has changed complexion, you can no longer delay. Remove the foreign body from the airways by hand or with tweezers.
Before carrying out these manipulations, it is necessary to put the child in a horizontal position. Only then can the airway release begin.
Cough in a baby
If coughing develops in infants, it indicates the presence of the same diseases as coughing in older children.
But sometimes this phenomenon is physiological in nature. In the body of infants, mucus constantly accumulates. Coughing is necessary in order to clear her airways. If it is repeated no more than 20 times a day, then there is no reason for concern.
Also, the causes of cough in a baby can be dry air in the room or teething.
However, sometimes this phenomenon can indicate the presence of serious pathologies, therefore it cannot be ignored. If you are not sure that coughing in a baby is an absolutely safe symptom, show your child the doctor who will conduct the initial examination. If there is no reason for concern, you will return home safely. But if there are suspicions of the presence of complex diseases, the doctor will prescribe an additional examination for the baby, according to the results of which the diagnosis will be made and treatment prescribed.
It is necessary to get rid of cough immediately after its appearance. Treatment depends on the cause.
Treatment of coughing in children
The methods for treating a cough in a child are as follows:
- Dry or too warm air is the main reason for coughing. Get a special humidifier and put it in the nursery.
- If allergic reactions occur, you need to detect the allergen and remove it from the reach of the child.
- For colds, a doctor’s consultation is necessary, since treatment involves the use of special medications, such as Lazolvan or Doctor Mom. Syrup is the most effective form of cough medicine. Sometimes doctors prescribe several massage sessions. “Doctor Mom” is a syrup that does not cause side effects; it can be used without a doctor’s prescription if you are sure that the cough is caused by a cold.
- Drink plenty.
If you have serious pathologies, such as tuberculosis, you should consult a doctor.
Parent Tips
Any coughing does not occur as a separate disease. It is a symptom of a pathology developing in the child's body. If you are not sure that you can correctly determine the cause of coughing, consult a doctor for advice. In order to avoid the appearance of side effects, you can not self-medicate.