The child has noisy breathing through the nose. Acute stenosing laryngotracheitis in a child, children. Tempo, frequency and types of breathing

Children who suffer from bronchitis often experience mild wheezing, but if breathing is normal, this should not be a cause for concern. In the map below primary diagnosis Only those disorders are considered in which the child’s breathing becomes so loud that it can be clearly heard even in a large room.

Noisy breathing may be accompanied by different sounds- from loud wheezing and whistling to a sharp “crowing”, which intensifies during inspiration. This noisy breathing is a dangerous symptom for a child (except in cases where the child has already been diagnosed with bronchial asthma and has all the necessary medications. In any case, when a child experiences noisy breathing, adults should be attentive and observant so as not to miss the appearance of the symptoms listed below and take appropriate measures in a timely manner.

Primary diagnostic chart for noisy breathing in children

1. Was the child completely healthy a few minutes ago?

- Yes- Perhaps there is something stuck in the child's trachea foreign body. If the child is small, he should be turned upside down and patted well on the back. If a stuck foreign body cannot be removed, it is necessary to urgently call “ ambulance” or take the child to the hospital yourself as quickly as possible.

If you managed to remove the foreign body yourself, no additional treatment the child does not need it - he will quickly return to his normal state. But if after some time he develops a cough or an increase in body temperature, this may be a sign of pneumonia (pneumonia) - in this case, you need to consult a doctor, who will most likely hospitalize the child. In the hospital, the child will undergo a thorough diagnosis and appropriate treatment will be prescribed.

- No- see point 2.

2. Child under 4 years old?

- Yes- see point 3.

- No- see point 4.

3. Is your child exhibiting one or more concerning symptoms (listed below)?

Dangerous symptoms in children

If, in addition to noisy breathing, a child has at least one of the following symptoms, he has severe violations breathing (this emergency situation in which it is necessary to urgently consult a doctor):

- blue tongue;
- unusual drowsiness;
- difficulty speaking or pronouncing normal sounds;
- unusually rapid breathing.

- Yes - EMERGENCY!!! YOU MUST CALL AN AMBULANCE!!! The child may have spasm (constriction) airways , which can be caused by inflammation of the mucous membrane and swelling of tissue in the throat (croup) as a result of an allergic reaction or infection. While waiting for the ambulance, you can try to ease the child’s breathing on your own by humidifying the air with steam. To do this, the child must be placed in the bathroom and the shower or taps must be turned on. hot water. If the child suddenly stops breathing, you need to do mouth-to-mouth breathing. Once doctors arrive and first aid is provided, the child will most likely be hospitalized. He will be treated at the hospital necessary diagnostics and prescribe appropriate treatment (oxygen therapy, infusion therapy etc.).

- No- The child may have pneumonia (pneumonia) or inflammation of the trachea due to an allergic reaction or infection. Pending medical care To make the child's breathing easier, he can be placed in a room with high air humidity (in the bathroom and open the shower with hot water). After examining the child, the doctor may recommend hospitalization; in some cases, treatment is prescribed at home.

4. Does your child have one or more of the dangerous symptoms listed above?

- Yes - EMERGENCY!!! YOU MUST CALL AN AMBULANCE!!! Severe attack of bronchial asthma causes serious violations breathing. While waiting for emergency medical help, adults need to remain calm and try to provide moral support to the child. It will be much easier for him to breathe if he is seated in such a way that he rests on the back of a chair. If there are bronchodilators in the house, the child can be given them in an age-appropriate dose. After first aid is provided, the child is hospitalized for the purpose of thorough diagnosis and special therapy (oxygen therapy, etc.).

- No- see point 5.

5. Has the child already been diagnosed with bronchial asthma and is he receiving appropriate treatment?

- Yes- Most likely the child has another asthma attack. In this case, he should be seated on a chair so that his back completely touches the back of the chair, and he should be given medications prescribed by the doctor. These drugs can be given repeatedly every 4 hours. But if the child’s condition does not improve after 6 hours and/or he has at least one of dangerous symptoms(see above), you must urgently seek medical help.

- No - YOU MUST CONSULT A DOCTOR!!! Perhaps the child first attack of bronchial asthma. While waiting for medical help, adults need to remain calm and try to provide moral support to the child. It will be much easier for him to breathe if he is seated in such a way that he rests on the back of a chair. If the doctor confirms the diagnosis, he will prescribe appropriate treatment. If one or more of the dangerous symptoms listed above appears, the child may need to be hospitalized.

If you have difficulty breathing, regardless of the cause, you should immediately consult a doctor. Signs are not always obvious, so pay attention to the frequency of breathing and whether the child’s neck and chest muscles are tense.

If the skin between or under your ribs pulls inward when you breathe, there is a serious blockage. At the same time, the child instinctively grabs a table or chair, the muscles of the neck and shoulders tense and help him take a breath. This is another warning sign. If the child turns blue and lacks oxygen, call an ambulance immediately.

All of these symptoms indicate that your child's breathing is blocked. The cause may be a respiratory tract infection.

Noisy breathing indicates partial blockade of small airways in the lungs, trachea or throat. The cause may be a common cough or cold, especially in young children.

Very narrow airways during a cold are easily clogged with mucous secretions, as a result, the child’s inhalation and exhalation are accompanied by rattling sounds. Very young children breathe through their mouth only when they cry. When they try to breathe with a stuffy nose, they make various noises. If there are no signs of difficulty breathing, then you can safely treat your child for a cold.

Inhalation noise

An inspiratory noise is called inspiratory stridor and usually indicates a blockage in the throat or bronchi. This is serious and you need to see a doctor. The cause may also be a foreign body entering the bronchi.

Other possible reason- infection of the epiglottis located on back wall child's throat. The epiglottis is a cartilage that usually blocks the entrance to the bronchi when swallowing, preventing food from entering the respiratory tract.

The child may suddenly develop a fever, a sore throat, and a croupy cough. Sometimes he is unable to swallow even his own saliva. Breathing becomes noisy and difficult. Often this is an ordinary croup, and not inflammation of the epiglottis, but do not take risks, since inflammation of the latter may cause blockage of the bronchi. In this case, call a doctor immediately.

Some children experience inspiratory stridor as a result of contact of the epiglottis with the wall of the larynx. It usually disappears when the larynx is complete.

Noises when exhaling

Children often produce high-pitched musical sounds, which is due to the narrowness of the air passages in the lungs themselves, and not in the bronchi or throat.

Contact your doctor if your child has difficulty breathing or has stridor. Treatment depends on the cause.

If you have difficulty breathing, you may need to be treated for an infection or asthma.

In case of contact with a foreign body, it is necessary to provide emergency assistance.

Inflammation of the epiglottis is treated in hospital with antibiotics. If necessary, a tube is inserted to make breathing easier.

Holding your breath in a child

About 1-2 percent of walkers frighten parents by holding their breath.

Breath-holding attacks are essentially harmless, and the child usually begins to breathe on his own. But they look so scary that it’s hard to believe that such a phenomenon is harmless.

Usually an attack begins after suffering pain or emotional stress. First, the child screams or cries, then holds his breath and turns red. Sometimes breathing is restored at this stage. In other children, the redness turns blue, and loss of consciousness may occur. This usually lasts a few seconds, and then breathing returns. If the child does not come to his senses after a few seconds, proceed as if he fainted.

Convulsions when holding your breath

Cramps of arms and legs - alarming symptom. The cause of convulsions and loss of consciousness during an attack is insufficient oxygen supply to the brain. This is a harmless and temporary symptom, but if in doubt, consult a doctor to rule out epilepsy.

It is believed that in the above cases nothing needs to be done. That's why doctors don't prescribe medicines. It is recommended to spray the child cold water at the beginning of the attack. This can serve as an impetus to restore breathing. Breath-holding attacks occur primarily in children between 18 months and 2 years of age and usually disappear after three years of age.

Contact your doctor in the following cases:

  • your child's seizures are not as described here;
  • loss of consciousness lasts longer than a few seconds;
  • during an attack, the child urinates spontaneously;
  • he bites his tongue;
  • kicks and jerks his legs.

These may be signs of epilepsy. If attacks do not stop after three years, then children should be examined by a doctor.

Suffocation

Choking is a blockage of the bronchi, in which the child cannot take a breath for several moments.

Sudden suffocation

This type of suffocation is a common phenomenon. It occurs if some object in the child’s mouth blocks the entrance to the bronchi.

Severely enlarged tonsils with a sore throat can cause difficulty swallowing. But suffocation in this case rarely occurs. A completely different matter is inflammation of the epiglottis, which can actually cause difficulty breathing.

If food or liquid enters the respiratory tract, it can cause suffocation. It lasts a few seconds. Do not hit the child on the back, as this may cause food to pass further into the bronchi. Any crumb or drop may pop out when you cough. If this does not happen, then hold the baby upside down.

Choking due to vomiting or tongue retraction

Fortunately, this phenomenon is very rare in children. In this case, there is a danger if the child is unconscious and lying on his back. You need to turn it on its side.

Rarely, suffocation may last for weeks or even months after birth. The causes of prolonged suffocation are: birth defects, such as a cleft palate, abnormal development of the tongue, throat, esophagus, or jaw. The nerves and muscles that control swallowing and make it difficult can be affected by brain disorders or cerebral paralysis. Sometimes seemingly normal children cannot learn to control these muscles for weeks or even months.

Severe choking in newborns may indicate a serious condition such as underdevelopment of the esophagus, which interferes with normal feeding.

If your child has frequent choking episodes, contact your doctor.

Treatment sudden suffocation depends on the reason. If your child's difficulty breathing lasts more than a few seconds, call an ambulance.

Children often have breathing problems. But most often, parents are worried about the child’s noisy breathing, which manifests itself in different shapes and depends on the degree of obstruction (obstruction) in respiratory tract. An experienced doctor can easily determine its cause by the sounds of the noise produced. For example, snoring often indicates congestion in the nasal cavity, or at the back of it.

A bubbling sound when a newborn baby inhales or exhales is a sign that mucus has accumulated in his throat and airways, preventing the free passage of air. Over time, the baby will learn to clear his throat. In any case, it is necessary to determine whether the child is healthy or not. Some children feel quite normal, they have a good appetite, and bubbling when breathing occurs due to the flow of mucus from the nasal cavity into the nasopharynx. Others, on the contrary, get sick with a high temperature and feel unwell, which indicates a serious respiratory disease: pneumonia or bronchitis.

Whistling is the name of the sound produced by the throat only when inhaling. It usually appears when a foreign object gets into the windpipe, with croup and inflammation of the epiglottis - bacterial disease, affecting the epiglottis, which protects the windpipe from food entering it. When the epiglottis is inflamed, the child feels worse, has a sore throat, a croupy cough appears, similar to a seal barking while fishing, the child has difficulty swallowing, and when the epiglottis becomes even more inflamed, it becomes difficult to breathe. Further inflammation can completely block breathing, so as soon as a characteristic whistling sound appears, consult a doctor immediately.

Wheezing is heard only when exhaling. This is a characteristic high, even melodic sound, similar to the sound of a musical wind instrument. Most often it appears with asthma, sometimes the cause may be an infectious disease and foreign object. In infants aged one to six months the usual reason Winter wheezing is a disease called bronchiole inflammation, caused by a virus that causes non-diphtheria croup and colds in older children and adults. In infants, however, the problem can be very serious. I note that any wheezing in infancy must be taken very seriously.

Recurrent wheezing is almost always caused by asthma, which often runs in families. In addition, eczema and hay fever. Almost every fifth child suffers from asthma, and due to pollution environment the disease is becoming very common. A sign of asthma can be not only wheezing, but also a dry cough at night or a cough caused by physical activity in the cold. Parents often note that when a child has a cold, the chest is almost always affected, and wheezing worsens at night and occurs with renewed vigor immediately after waking up in the morning. Reasons causing asthma, a lot of. These include colds, physical activity, different kinds infections, allergies and emotional factors.

What can you do?

If your child is having trouble breathing, you need to find out what it's like. general state his health. Some alarming sounds in your baby's throat may simply be the result of a buildup of mucus that is easily coughed up. But if a child has a high temperature, it is probably an infectious disease. Pay attention to how the child breathes, how difficult it is for him to do it, whether he raises his arms and shoulders, leaning on something, trying to help himself breathe. Sometimes his neck muscles may become very tense and chest. A serious sign A condition that requires immediate medical attention is blue lips. Sometimes a worrying symptom is the child's breathing rate. In general, if a child’s severe illness does not go away for a long time hoarse breathing, if he feels unwell, if he is depressed and lethargic, call a doctor immediately.

What can a doctor do?

The doctor can determine the severity of the child's condition by his breathing and as a result general examination. Exists a big difference between coughing during children's games and running and that state when a child suffocates while lying calmly in bed, covered with a blanket. By the breathing rate you can determine how saturated the child’s blood is with oxygen. Breathing with extra tension and blue lips is a sign serious illness. The loudness of the breathing noise does not necessarily indicate the severity of the condition, since the greater the obstruction, the quieter the sound. Listening with a stethoscope helps identify the location where this sound is produced. If the source of noise is in the throat, breathing in the chest will be free of noise. But if the lungs are affected, a sound characteristic of this condition will be heard.

The doctor’s task is to accurately determine the cause of noisy breathing and take appropriate measures. Nasal congestion due to a runny nose or allergies can be relieved using the most common medications, antiallergic sprays. For inflammation of the epiglottis, serious infectious disease, hospitalization is required, where the child must be treated with antibiotics, and, if necessary, ventilation and oxygen therapy. Inflammation of bronchioles in infants also requires treatment in inpatient conditions because if the breathing difficulty gets worse, you may need to artificial respiration. Psychotherapy, oxygen therapy and antibiotic treatment may also be used to prevent the infection from spreading.

When treating asthma, the help of not only doctors, but also the child’s parents is required. With this disease, it is necessary to teach the child to control his breathing using a special device that determines the strength of the flow of exhaled air, and then, using all kinds of inhalers, to help himself during asthma attacks. It is useful to keep a diary of the child’s health, in which you need to record the dependence of the baby’s well-being on various methods treatment, doing this under the supervision of a doctor.

If you don't know this yet, remember this:

  • The causes of noise during breathing are varied.
  • In case of inspiratory noise, urgent treatment is required.
  • Constant wheezing when exhaling usually occurs with asthma.

Any changes in the child’s breathing become immediately noticeable to parents. Especially if the frequency and nature of breathing changes, extraneous noise appears. We will talk about why this can happen and what to do in each specific situation in this article.


Peculiarities

Children breathe completely differently than adults. Firstly, babies breathe more superficially and shallowly. The volume of air inhaled will increase as the child grows; in babies it is very small. Secondly, it is more frequent, because the volume of air is still small.

The airways in children are narrower and have a certain deficiency of elastic tissue.

This often leads to disruption of the excretory function of the bronchi. For a cold or viral infection In the nasopharynx, larynx, and bronchi, active immune processes begin to fight the invading virus. Mucus is produced, the task of which is to help the body cope with the disease, “bind” and immobilize foreign “guests”, and stop their progress.

Due to the narrowness and inelasticity of the airways, the outflow of mucus can be difficult. Children born prematurely most often experience respiratory problems in childhood. Due to the weakness of the entire nervous system as a whole and respiratory system in particular, they have a significantly higher risk of developing serious pathologies- bronchitis, pneumonia.

Babies breathe mainly through the “stomach”, that is, in early age due to the high position of the diaphragm, abdominal breathing.

At 4 years old, chest breathing begins to develop. By age 10, most girls are breathing from the chest, and most boys are breathing diaphragmatically (belly). A child’s oxygen needs are much higher than the needs of an adult, because babies actively grow, move, and significantly more transformations and changes occur in their bodies. To provide all organs and systems with oxygen, the baby needs to breathe more often and more actively; for this, there should be no pathological changes in his bronchi, trachea and lungs.

Any reason, even a seemingly insignificant one (stuffy nose, sore throat, sore throat), can complicate a child’s breathing. During illness, it is not so much the abundance of bronchial mucus that is dangerous, but its ability to quickly thicken. If, with a stuffy nose, the baby breathes through his mouth at night, then with a high degree of probability, the next day the mucus will begin to thicken and dry out.



Violate external breathing A child can suffer not only from illness, but also from the quality of the air he breathes. If the climate in the apartment is too hot and dry, if parents turn on the heater in the children's bedroom, then there will be many times more problems with breathing. Too humid air will also not benefit the baby.

Oxygen deficiency It develops faster in children than in adults, and this does not necessarily require the presence of any serious illness.

Sometimes a little swelling or slight stenosis is enough, and now the little one develops hypoxia. Absolutely all parts of the children's respiratory system have significant differences from an adult. This explains why children under 10 years of age most often suffer from respiratory illnesses. After 10 years, the incidence declines, with the exception of chronic pathologies.


Major breathing problems in children are accompanied by several symptoms that are understandable to every parent:

  • the child’s breathing has become harsh and noisy;
  • the baby is breathing heavily - inhalations or exhalations are given with visible difficulty;
  • the breathing frequency changed - the child began to breathe less often or more often;
  • wheezing appeared.

The reasons for such changes may vary. And only a doctor in tandem with a specialist can establish the true laboratory diagnostics. We will try to general outline tell what reasons most often underlie changes in breathing in a child.

Varieties

Depending on the nature, experts identify several types of difficulty breathing.

Hard breathing

Hard breathing in the medical understanding of this phenomenon, these are breathing movements, in which the inhalation is clearly audible, but the exhalation is not. It should be noted that hard breathing is physiological norm for small children. Therefore, if the child does not have a cough, runny nose or other symptoms of illness, then there is no need to worry. The baby is breathing within the age norm.


Rigidity depends on age - the younger the toddler, the harsher his breathing. This is due to insufficient development of the alveoli and muscle weakness. The baby usually breathes noisily, and this is quite normal phenomenon. In most children, breathing softens by the age of 4, in some it can remain quite harsh until 10-11 years. However, after this age, breathing healthy child always softens.

If a child’s exhalation noise is accompanied by a cough and other symptoms of illness, then we can talk about a large list of possible ailments.

Most often, such breathing accompanies bronchitis and bronchopneumonia. If the exhalation is heard as clearly as the inhalation, then you should definitely consult a doctor. Such harsh breathing will not be the norm.


Hard breathing with wet cough characteristic of the recovery period after an acute respiratory viral infection. As a residual phenomenon, such breathing indicates that not all excess phlegm has yet left the bronchi. If there is no fever, runny nose or other symptoms, and hard breathing is accompanied by dry and unproductive cough,perhaps it allergic reaction for some antigen. For influenza and acute respiratory viral infections initial stage breathing may also become harsh, but the obligatory accompanying symptoms will be sharp increase temperatures, liquid transparent discharge from the nose, possibly redness of the throat and tonsils.



Hard breath

Heavy breathing usually makes it difficult to inhale. Such difficulty breathing causes the greatest concern among parents, and this is not at all in vain, because normally, in a healthy child, inhalation should be audible, but light, it should be given to the child without difficulty. In 90% of all cases of difficulty breathing when inhaling, the cause lies in a viral infection. These are familiar influenza viruses and various ARVIs. Sometimes hard breath accompanies such serious illnesses, like scarlet fever, diphtheria, measles and rubella. But in this case, changes in inhalation will not be the first sign of the disease.

Usually, heavy breathing does not develop immediately, but as the infectious disease develops.

With influenza it may appear on the second or third day, with diphtheria - on the second, with scarlet fever - by the end of the first day. Separately, it is worth mentioning such a cause of difficulty in breathing as croup. It can be true (for diphtheria) and false (for all other infections). Intermittent breathing in this case is explained by the presence of laryngeal stenosis in the area of ​​the vocal folds and in nearby tissues. The larynx narrows, and depending on the degree of croup (how narrowed the larynx is) depends on how difficult it will be to inhale.


Heavy, intermittent breathing is usually accompanied by shortness of breath. It can be observed both during exercise and at rest. The voice becomes hoarse and sometimes disappears completely. If the child breathes convulsively, jerkily, while inhalation is clearly difficult, clearly audible, when trying to inhale, the skin above the collarbone slightly sinks, you should immediately call an ambulance.

Croup is extremely dangerous and can lead to immediate respiratory failure, suffocation.

You can help a child only within the limits of pre-medical first aid - open all the windows, ensure a flow of fresh air (and don’t be afraid that it’s winter outside!), lay the child on his back, try to calm him down, since excess excitement makes breathing even more difficult and makes the situation worse. All this is done while the ambulance team is on its way to the baby.

Of course, it is useful to be able to intubate the trachea yourself at home using improvised means; in the event of a child suffocating, this will help save his life. But not every father or mother will be able to overcome fear and use a kitchen knife to make an incision in the trachea area and insert the spout of a porcelain teapot into it. This is how intubation is done for life-saving reasons.

Heavy breathing along with cough in the absence of fever and symptoms viral disease may indicate asthma.

General lethargy, lack of appetite, shallow and small breaths, pain when trying to breathe deeper may indicate the onset of a disease such as bronchiolitis.

Rapid breathing

A change in breathing rate is usually in favor of faster breathing. Rapid breathing is always obvious symptom lack of oxygen in the child's body. In medical terminology, rapid breathing is called “tachypnea.” A disruption in respiratory function can occur at any time; sometimes parents may notice that a baby or newborn is breathing frequently in their sleep, while the breathing itself is shallow, similar to what happens to a dog that is “out of breath.”

Find the problem without special labor Any mother can. However don't try to search on your own cause of tachypnea, this is the task of specialists.

Respiratory rate norms for children of different ages are:

  • from 0 to 1 month - from 30 to 70 breaths per minute;
  • from 1 to 6 months - from 30 to 60 breaths per minute;
  • from six months - from 25 to 40 breaths per minute;
  • from 1 year - from 20 to 40 breaths per minute;
  • from 3 years - from 20 to 30 breaths per minute;
  • from 6 years - from 12 to 25 breaths per minute;
  • from 10 years and older - from 12 to 20 breaths per minute.

The technique for counting breathing rate is quite simple.

It is enough for the mother to arm herself with a stopwatch and put her hand on the child’s chest or tummy (this depends on the age, since at an early age abdominal breathing predominates, and at an older age it can be replaced by chest breathing. You need to count how many times the child will inhale (and the chest or stomach will rise - will descend) in 1 minute.Then you should check the above age standards and draw a conclusion. If there is an excess, this is an alarming symptom of tachypnea, and you should consult a doctor.



Quite often, parents complain about their baby’s frequent intermittent breathing, not being able to distinguish tachypnea from simple shortness of breath. Doing this in the meantime is quite simple. You should carefully observe whether the baby’s inhalations and exhalations are always rhythmic. If rapid breathing is rhythmic, then we're talking about about tachypnea. If it slows down and then accelerates, the child breathes unevenly, then we should talk about the presence of shortness of breath.

The causes of increased breathing in children are often neurological or psychological in nature.

Severe stress, which the baby cannot due to age and insufficient vocabulary And imaginative thinking put into words, still needs a way out. In most cases, children begin to breathe more often. This counts physiological tachypnea, violation does not pose any particular danger. The neurological nature of tachypnea should be considered first of all, remembering what events preceded the change in the nature of inhalations and exhalations, where the baby was, who he met, whether he had severe fear, resentment, or hysteria.


The second most common cause of rapid breathing is in respiratory diseases, primarily in bronchial asthma. Such periods of increased inhalation are sometimes harbingers of periods of difficulty breathing, episodes of respiratory failure characteristic of asthma. Frequent fractional breaths quite often accompany chronic respiratory ailments, for example, Chronical bronchitis. However, the increase does not occur during remission, but during exacerbations. And along with this symptom, the baby has other symptoms - cough, elevated temperature body (not always!), decreased appetite and general activity, weakness, fatigue.

The most serious reason frequent inhalations and exhalations lies in diseases of cardio-vascular system. It happens that it is possible to detect pathologies of the heart only after the parents bring the baby to an appointment regarding increased breathing. That is why, if the frequency of breathing is disturbed, it is important to examine the child in medical institution rather than self-medicate.


Hoarseness

Bad breath with wheezing always indicates that there is an obstacle in the respiratory tract to the passage of a stream of air. A foreign body that the child inadvertently inhaled, dried bronchial mucus if the child was treated for cough incorrectly, and narrowing of any part of the respiratory tract, so-called stenosis, can get in the way of the air.

The wheezing is so varied that you have to try hard to give correct description what parents hear performed by their own child.

Wheezing is described by duration, tone, coincidence with inhalation or exhalation, and the number of tones. The task is not easy, but if you successfully cope with it, you can understand what exactly the child is sick with.

The fact is that wheezing for different diseases is quite unique and peculiar. And they actually have a lot to say. Thus, wheezing (dry wheezing) may indicate a narrowing of the airway, and moist wheezing (noisy gurgling accompaniment of the breathing process) may indicate the presence of fluid in the respiratory tract.



If the obstruction occurs in a bronchus with a wide diameter, the wheezing tone is lower, bassier, and muffled. If the thin bronchi are clogged, then the tone will be high, with a whistle when exhaling or inhaling. For pneumonia and other pathological conditions, leading to changes in tissues, wheezing is noisier and louder. If there is no severe inflammation, then the child’s wheezing is quieter, more muffled, sometimes barely audible. If a child wheezes, as if sobbing, this always indicates the presence of excess moisture in the respiratory tract. Diagnose the nature of wheezing experienced doctors can be heard using a phonendoscope and tapping.


It happens that wheezing is not pathological. Sometimes they can be seen in infant up to a year, both in a state of activity and in a state of rest. The baby breathes with a bubbling “accompaniment”, and also noticeably “grunts” at night. This occurs due to the congenital individual narrowness of the airways. Such wheezing should not alarm parents unless there are accompanying painful symptoms. As the child grows, the airways will grow and expand, and the problem will disappear on its own.

In all other situations, wheezing is always warning sign, which necessarily requires examination by a doctor.

Rattles are moist, gurgling in varying degrees severity may be accompanied by:

  • bronchial asthma;
  • problems of the cardiovascular system, heart defects;
  • lung diseases, including edema and tumors;
  • acute renal failure;
  • chronic respiratory diseases- bronchitis, obstructive bronchitis;
  • ARVI and influenza;
  • tuberculosis.

Dry whistling or barking rales are more often characteristic of bronchiolitis, pneumonia, laryngitis, pharyngitis and may even indicate the presence of a foreign body in the bronchi. Staged correct diagnosis The method of listening to wheezing helps - auscultation. Every pediatrician knows this method, and therefore a child with wheezing should definitely be shown to a pediatrician in order to determine in time possible pathology and start treatment.


Treatment

After diagnosis, the doctor prescribes appropriate treatment.

Hard Breathing Therapy

If there is no temperature and there are no other complaints except for hardness of breathing, then there is no need to treat the child. It is enough to provide him with a normal motor mode; this is very important so that excess bronchial mucus comes out as quickly as possible. It is useful to walk outside, play on fresh air in mobile and active games. Breathing usually returns to normal within a few days.

If hard breathing is accompanied by a cough or fever, it is necessary to show the child to a pediatrician to rule out respiratory diseases.

If the disease is detected, treatment will be aimed at stimulating the discharge of bronchial secretions. For this, the baby is prescribed mucolytic drugs, drinking plenty of fluids, vibration massage.

To learn how vibration massage is done, see the following video.

Hard breathing with cough, but without respiratory symptoms and temperature requires mandatory consultation with an allergist. Perhaps the cause of the allergy can be eliminated with simple home actions - wet cleaning, ventilation, removal of all household chemicals based on chlorine, using hypoallergenic baby washing powder when washing clothes and linen. If this doesn't work, the doctor will prescribe antihistamines with a calcium supplement.


Measures for heavy breathing

Heavy breathing due to viral infection special treatment does not need it, since the underlying disease needs to be treated. In some cases, antihistamines are added to standard prescriptions for influenza and ARVI, as they help relieve internal swelling and make it easier for the child to breathe. At diphtheria croup the child is hospitalized in mandatory, since he needs an early introduction anti-diphtheria serum. This can only be done in a hospital setting, where, if necessary, the baby will be provided with surgical care, connecting the device artificial ventilation lungs, administration of antitoxic solutions.

False croup, if it is not complicated and the child is not an infant, they may be allowed to treat at home.

For this purpose it is usually prescribed courses of inhalation with drugs. Moderate and severe forms of croup require inpatient treatment with the use of glucocorticosteroid hormones (“Prednisolone” or “Dexamethasone”). Treatment of asthma and bronchiolitis is also carried out under medical supervision. In severe form - in the hospital, in mild form - at home, subject to all the recommendations and prescriptions of the doctor.



Increased rhythm - what to do?

Treatment in case of transient tachypnea, which is caused by stress, fear or excessive impressionability of the child, is not required. It is enough to teach a child to cope with his emotions, and over time, when nervous system gets stronger, seizures rapid breathing will fade away.

You can stop another attack with a paper bag. It is enough to invite the child to breathe into it, inhaling and exhaling. In this case, you cannot take air from the outside; you only need to inhale what is in the bag. Usually, a few such breaths are enough for the attack to subside. The main thing is to calm down yourself and calm the child.


If the increased rhythm of inhalation and exhalation has pathological causes, the underlying disease should be treated. Cardiovascular problems of the child are dealt with pulmonologist and cardiologist. A pediatrician and An ENT doctor and sometimes an allergist.

Treatment of wheezing

None of the doctors treat wheezing, since there is no need to treat it. The disease that caused their appearance should be treated, and not the consequence of this disease. If wheezing is accompanied by a dry cough, to relieve the symptoms, along with the main treatment, the doctor may prescribe expectorants that will facilitate the rapid transition of a dry cough into a productive cough with sputum production.



If wheezing is the cause of stenosis, narrowing of the respiratory tract, the child may be prescribed medications that relieve swelling - antihistamines, diuretics. As swelling decreases, wheezing usually becomes quieter or disappears completely.

Wheezing wheezes that accompany short and labored breathing are always a sign that the child needs emergency medical care.

Any combination of the nature and tone of wheezing in the background high temperature- this is also a reason to hospitalize the child as soon as possible and entrust his treatment to professionals.


When the airways are normal, the child breathes silently and effortlessly. When their patency is impaired, a high-pitched sound may appear when breathing, as air passes through the narrowed breathing tubes with effort. These are the sounds that occur when a child inhales and exhales through narrowed airways. Airway obstruction can occur due to swelling caused by infection, foreign body, inflammation and spasm of the bronchial muscles in asthma. Sometimes a rough wheeze is heard only when inhaling: this may be a symptom of croup. This wheezing is called stridor (see Help for croup).

URGENT CARE

Call emergency services for your child if wheezing is accompanied by:

  • difficulty breathing
  • around the child's lips
  • unusual drowsiness, lethargy
  • inability to speak or produce
  • normal sounds

ATTENTION!

Wheezing in a child may appear suddenly when a foreign body enters the respiratory tract. Minor wheezing may be accompanied by ARVI. If you experience wheezing when breathing, consult a doctor immediately.

ASK YOURSELF A QUESTION

POSSIBLE REASON

WHAT TO DO

Does your infant have fairly loud wheezing only when he or she inhales? Is he eating and growing normally?

If the baby is eating, sleeping and growing normally, noisy breathing simply shows that the tissues in the airways are still quite elastic. Such noisy breathing should go away by 1.5 years, when the cartilages of the larynx ( windpipe) will become denser. However, be aware of your baby's noisy breathing. attention during the next inspection

Cold (ARVI)

Child under one year old? Does he have one that lasts 2 hours or more? Has he had a cold in the last day or two? Rapid and ? He ? ?

Bronchiolitis is a disease, usually viral, that affects the smallest bronchi

Call "emergency". If the diagnosis is confirmed, hospitalization may be required

Foreign body in the respiratory tract (most often found in children from 6 months to 2 years)

This emergency. Call an ambulance; First aid measures - see Respiratory arrest)

Rapid breathing, wheezing, strong? up to 38.3 o C or more? Is your child feeling unwell? When you inhale, do the intercostal spaces retract?

Pneumonia

Does your child snore in his sleep? Do you wake up irritated every morning? Does he breathe through his mouth often because his nose is blocked? Do you get tired quickly? Does he speak through his nose? He has frequent colds and ?

Enlarged adenoids; allergy

The materials contained in the reference book are advisory in nature and do not replace consultation with a doctor!

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