Effective treatment of cough in children in the first place involves determining the causes of its appearance. Most often cough acts as a symptom of acute respiratory viral infection (ARVI). Such an infection can affect both the upper respiratory tract (nose, nasopharynx, oropharynx), and the lower ones (lungs, bronchi, trachea, larynx). Also cause coughing can inflammation of the ENT organs, such as the nose, pharynx, paranasal sinuses, or an increase in the pharyngeal tonsils (adenoids).
Cough is a very important clinical sign of bronchial asthma, in which cough can act as the equivalent of attacks of suffocation. A sudden attack of cough can serve as a signal for the child to inhale a foreign body into the trachea and bronchi, which can pose a threat to his life. In this case, you should immediately seek medical help.
Diseases of the respiratory tract can not always cause a cough. For example, it can be observed in children with a pathology of the gastrointestinal tract or with heart defects. Also, cough can be caused by harmful substances, which in certain cases can be contained in the air in large quantities (tobacco smoke, gas contamination), or too hot and dry air in the room.
Less often, the cough can be reflex or psychogenic, that is, it can occur with inflammation of the middle ear or the formation of sulfur plugs in the external auditory canal.
The choice of treatment should be determined by the nature of the cough and the overall clinical picture. Antitussives should be prescribed by a pediatrician. Since during the cough the body is trying to clear the airways, fighting this disease can lead to an even stronger infection in the body, which in turn can cause complications. The effectiveness of the treatment is to help the baby's body to clear and relieve the stress that it is experiencing.
Antitussive drugs are divided into three categories: mucolytic (serve to dilute sputum), expectorant (enhance cough) and antitussives (relieve cough, affecting the cough center in the nervous system).
Treatment of a child from a cough should take place in conditions comfortable for him. You can choose any method of treatment: with the help of pharmacological drugs, herbs, folk remedies, or aromatherapy. In this case, treatment can be supplemented with such concomitant procedures as inhalation, chest massage, mustard, cans.
Pharmacological drugs are used to treat the following diseases in children:
- mucolytic drugs (Ambroxol, ATSTS, Bromheksin, Karbotsistein, Mesna) - bronchitis and pneumonia;
- expectorant drugs (licorice root, althaea root, Mukaltin, leaves of coltsfoot, potassium iodide, broncholitin, sodium bicarbonate, plantain leaves, Pertussin, Solutan, Chabrets, Tussin) - bronchitis and colds;
- combined preparations (Doctor MOM, Kodelak fito) - ARVI, ARI, colds.
If cough is debilitating and painful, and the above drugs are powerless, then antitussive drugs are used: Ethylmorphine, Codeine, Glaucin, Dimemorfan (narcotic drugs), Butamirate (non-narcotic drugs), Prenoxindiazine, Oxeladin.
IMPORTANT: it is forbidden to perform treatment with antitussive and expectorant drugs at the same time, this can cause filling of bronchi with sputum.