A runny nose is a phenomenon that cannot be confused with anything, because it is always characterized by the secretion of mucus from the nose. It must be treated, especially in children, because there is always a risk of complications.
Rhinitis in a child is a fairly common phenomenon, because patients of this age have too narrow nasal passages, which makes it difficult to discharge mucus. A similar problem often occurs in newborns in the first 10 weeks of life. Such a runny nose is not worth treating. You need to be able to recognize it, so as not to try to eliminate it medically every time.
But if acute rhinitis develops in a child, things are completely different. It appears due to infection in the body and can last about 10 days. As a rule, acute rhinitis develops along with acute respiratory viral infections, therefore it is of a viral or infectious nature. And it must be treated.
It is worth paying special attention to rhinitis in a child who is not yet a year old. In babies, the mucous membrane swells faster, the nasal cavity is narrow, and the immunity is very weak. Infants do not know how to blow their nose, because the mucus leaves quite hard. That is why it is necessary to immediately contact a specialist at the first signs of a disease so that he prescribes medication. The thing is that in the absence of therapy, chronic rhinitis in children, sinusitis, otitis media or pharyngitis can develop.
As a rule, in children a runny nose is not an independent problem, but a concomitant disease of any kind. Therefore, it is first necessary to treat the cause, and only then its consequences.
Rhinitis in a child in this case is a protective reaction of the body, with the help of which he tries to stop the infection and not let it go further into the bronchi and lungs. Therefore, the main objective of treatment is to prevent drying of the nasal mucosa. The fact is that if this happens, the child will breathe through the nose, which will lead to the drying of the mucus in the lungs. And this is a sure way to the development of complications, in particular pneumonia.
To do this, you need to timely identify rhinitis in children. Symptoms of it are usually as follows:
- Nasal congestion, mucus secretion, sneezing.
- Fever, headaches.
- The child cannot breathe freely through the nose.
If parents have found symptoms of acute rhinitis in their child, as described above, they should be treated immediately. To do this, you need to do a number of activities:
- Humidify the air in the room where the child is. Otherwise, the baby will have difficulty breathing, the mucous membrane will dry out, which will aggravate the condition.
- The child should drink plenty of warm liquid.
- It is best to instill moisturizing droplets into the nose, in particular a solution of sea salt.
- If the childβs breathing is very difficult, you can use a medical pear or a special suction for mucus to delay the snot. But doing this is better as a last resort.
If no improvement is observed, and the following symptoms appear, you should definitely contact a specialist:
- Heat.
- Sore throat or shortness of breath.
- The child refuses food.
- Runny nose lasts more than 14 days.
- Discharge from the nose has become purulent or bloody.