Dry cough in a child without fever: the most likely causes. Causes and treatment of dry cough in a child without fever

Coughing is a protective reaction of the body, which should help get rid of excess particles in the respiratory tract(lumps of dust with mucus, other foreign particles). It is impossible to say that if the baby is sick, then it is impossible; sometimes this is a normal reaction of the body. This reflex is very important, as it performs a protective and cleansing function.

If your child coughs, this does not mean that he is already this moment treatment must be started. This is the first sign that is worth paying attention to; perhaps the body was clearing the airways, or perhaps we are talking about a disease. Therefore, if the symptoms do not stop, it is necessary to diagnose the disease and only then begin treatment.

There are several types of cough:

  1. By nature: dry, wet productive and wet unproductive. Dry, if sputum is not coughed up, wet - with sputum discharge.
  2. According to the duration of occurrence: acute - occurred before three weeks, chronic - bothers longer than three weeks.

It is also necessary to pay attention to what time of day the baby coughs the most.

Why does the child cough?

A severe coughing attack may be a reaction to a small object accidentally entering the respiratory tract; parents should keep an eye on what the baby is playing with.

A dry cough in a child without fever can occur due to low humidity in the room. The mucous membranes dry out, and a reflex cough occurs. In this case, it is worth making the air humid using humidifiers.

Another reason is that irritating agents are household chemicals, other volatile substances with which the child comes into contact, they irritate the mucous membranes of the upper long-term tract and provoke a cough without general inflammation.

If a child’s cough becomes too obsessive, coughs up colored sputum, and other symptoms appear, it can be caused by the following diseases:

  • Acute respiratory infection, which is accompanied by a runny nose, sore throat, and body temperature rises; V in this case It is not difficult to distinguish the presence of a problem.
  • Chronic disease of the upper and lower respiratory tract - bronchitis, pharyngitis, tracheitis and others; The cough appears periodically, most often it is wet, with colored sputum, sometimes there is no temperature.
  • ENT infection in chronic or acute form– sinusitis, tonsillitis, adenitis; temperature in this case is not necessary, but a doctor’s examination is mandatory; more often coughing without fever occurs when the patient is lying down, that is, there is no opportunity to regularly clean the airways.
  • Tuberculosis is a serious disease; a prolonged dry cough in a child can be the cause of the disease; the temperature does not always rise.
  • The allergy causes frequent coughing in a child without fever; Regardless of the origin, characteristics of the allergy, the symptom is characteristic; A particular difficulty is that sometimes allergies are combined with an infection and the child coughs after the course of treatment, which creates additional problems for parents and the doctor.
  • Residual effects after whooping cough; The child has a cough without fever that appears at night.
  • Worm infestation, which causes coughing or dry cough; in this case, coughing without fever appears with repetitions after 2-4 weeks, during the period of helminth activity.
  • Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, for example, when reflux of stomach contents into the respiratory tract occurs.

This is not the entire list of diseases, some of them sound scary, sometimes the cause can be even more serious, but it is worth remembering that timely treatment, a visit to the doctor is the key to recovery. The situation cannot be neglected; it is worth contacting a specialist to diagnose the disease and identify the cause of the cough.

Cough without fever in a child: what to do?

If a cough without fever creates problems for both the baby and those around him. Particularly problematic attacks at night, as this disrupts children's sleep.

Usually, a symptom does not arise on its own without a reason, and it is important to identify and eliminate it in time.

The first thing you should do is take another look at the condition of the room; in many cases, the reason lies in the place where the baby is.

Make sure there are no irritating factors:

  • items that cause allergies;
  • dry indoor air;
  • absence of mold on the walls, children's things in the room;
  • lack of contact with irritating agents - renovation of neighbors where they work with paint, solvents and other substances.

If the cause cannot be eliminated on your own, you should consult a pediatrician. Sometimes only this symptom can be an indicator serious illness, it is better to make sure that everything is in order than not to know about the hidden course of the disease.

A severe cough in a child without fever is a reason to consult a specialist and start taking certain medications.

At normal temperature may prescribe one of several groups of drugs or other procedures:

  1. Antitussive medicines

Synthetic or natural origin they are used to get rid of dry cough. The essence of the work is to suppress the reflex, this disrupts the natural cleansing of the airways.

  1. Expectorants

They are divided into several types: some act on sputum, thinning it if it is viscous, while others increase the secretion of sputum.

  1. Drugs that affect the lumen of the bronchi

Treat diseases with obstruction – bronchospasms. They have many contraindications; they affect not only the bronchi, but also other organs, so taking them without a doctor is contraindicated.

  1. Herbal medicines, herbal preparations

At correct use provide best influence, official medicine recognizes herbal medicine as effective and safe method treatment. But if we're talking about allergic cough, herbs can only do harm.

  1. Distraction procedures

Inhalation, rubbing with ointments, foot baths are a great way to stop some processes, for example, initial manifestations ORZ. These methods are not effective for allergies.

  1. Humidifiers

They create indoors optimal conditions for the baby, therefore they are effective for all types of cough.

Only a doctor can determine what exactly will help get rid of this problem; the task of parents is to provide the most optimal conditions for the child. Only a professional knows which treatment methods to choose and how to combine them. For example, you cannot combine the first and second medications, that is, antitussives and expectorants, since they act in different directions. This can cause serious deterioration, cause serious complications, even if the child was almost healthy.

Dry cough without fever: treatment

Rare dry cough or prolonged cough cause a lot of discomfort, cause painful sensations. For this symptom to become productive, special medications are needed that will contribute to recovery.

Effective for expectoration of sputum: Gerbion, Sinekod, Codelac Fito, Bronholitin. It is important that the medicine is prescribed by a doctor, since an incorrectly selected drug can cause stagnation of phlegm in the lungs.

Syrups for this symptom are effective even at the first signs of a cold. This alleviates the baby’s condition, reduces pain and has antitussive, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and expectorant effects. Natural components have an effective effect on the child’s body and have no contraindications, unless individual intolerance is excluded.

Compresses, mustard plasters, inhalations, rubbing ointments into chest.

A prolonged cough, barking, that is accompanied by longer than 3 weeks is a reason to identify the causes of the symptom. The doctor should prescribe a medicine that will help the baby; it should suppress the cough reflex, that is, affect it at the level of the brain.

Some drugs cannot be prescribed because they are too strong - Codeine, Morphine. This narcotic substances, which are addictive, so they can only be prescribed to adults for a maximum of 7 days.

The most commonly used tablets for children are: Butamirate, Libexin and others. After a course of treatment with antitussive drugs, it is necessary to change tactics by prescribing other drugs depending on the symptoms.

How to cure a very wet cough?

A cold often causes a change from a dry cough to a wet one. But sputum is not always released normally; sometimes it is too viscous and thick. Coughing can cause pain.

The best solution would be mucolytics: Bromhexine, ACC, Ambroxol and others.

The effect of mucolytics is quite mild, they will not increase the volume of sputum, will not intensify the cough itself, but will alleviate the child’s condition, making him more productive. But the use of mucolytics is contraindicated in children under 2 years of age and with bronchial asthma.

If sputum is produced normally, you will need expectorant medications for plant based– Alteyka, Ambroxol, licorice root, Lazolvan and others. Nevertheless, natural ingredients are not always beneficial.

To help remove mucus better, you can do this for your baby. drainage massage. Will help drinking plenty of fluids, walks on fresh air, ventilation of premises. If a child has a rare or prolonged cough without fever, then moderate activity will help, not necessarily lying in bed. On the contrary, with moderate activity, sputum will come out easier and the baby will recover faster.

How to stop coughing at night?

If you can cope with the disease during the day, it is possible to monitor the child and help him, then at night parents have to stay awake, especially if the symptom is complex.

During a night attack, give your child warm milk or tea. Next, you need to change your body position - walk a little, move around, which will improve the discharge of sputum.

You can give cough drops, for example, Doctor Mom. No matter how tired you are, make sure that the lollipop is completely dissolved in your baby’s mouth and that he doesn’t fall asleep with it.

To prevent another attack, keep the bedroom slightly cool and humid.

Traditional recipes for the treatment of children's cough

A long cough in a baby that lasts a month or longer, a cough in a baby up to a year old, requires immediate action. Do not ignore the doctor and self-medicate; it is worth remembering that prescriptions traditional medicine– auxiliary and cannot replace full treatment.

If a child has a cough without fever, and you are wondering how to treat it, then it is best to combine drug treatment and folk recipes:

  1. Black radish with honey – immunostimulating, antitussive, anti-inflammatory. You need to take one root vegetable, grate it, add 1-2 tbsp. honey, leave for half an hour, take a teaspoon 3 times a day.
  2. Cabbage with honey. You need to take a cabbage leaf, scald it with boiling water, apply honey on it and use it as a compress. Place a warm sheet of honey on your back, a plastic bag and a towel on top. Keep for about 3 hours. Repeat the procedure 3-5 times. Do not place on the heart area.
  3. Bananas. Grind 2-3 bananas, dilute with a glass of water, bring to a boil and give to the baby to drink throughout the day.

A competent combination of medications and folk remedies will help cure cough in children and avoid serious consequences. A visit to the doctor is the most reasonable decision, because a child cannot take care of himself, he needs qualified help and parental care.

Video

Cough infant- a rather rare phenomenon in comparison with children aged 1 to 7 years. If the baby receives only mother’s milk as food, then the risk of colds up to a year is reduced to a minimum. If you have a runny nose and high temperature, you can suspect ARVI. If there is no snot, the thermometer shows 36.6 C, and the child begins to cough, you should be checked for allergies or whooping cough. Under no circumstances should you self-medicate, since the respiratory muscles of newborns and infants are not sufficiently developed. The baby will not be able to cough up mucus from the lungs and bronchi, which leads to stagnation of mucus in the respiratory tract and the occurrence of complications.

If the child is feeding mother's milk, the risk of catching a cold before the age of one year will be minimized

Types of cough

A baby's cough is the same protective reflex, inherent in nature, just like sneezing. Mothers worry when they notice that their child is coughing. Mild manifestation Pediatricians consider the reflex to be normal, even if the baby coughs several times a day. There are two types of cough:

  1. Dry. Characteristic for initial stage ARVI, parawhooping cough and whooping cough, bronchial asthma or allergic reaction, which makes it difficult to make a correct diagnosis. An examination by a pediatrician is necessary, since mothers without experience often mistake a wet cough for a dry one (see also:). Infant up to 3 months, swallows mucus rather than coughing it up, so parents are confused.
  2. Wet. If a baby’s cough begins without fever, this means that the disease is nearing completion. There is no need to worry when the sputum is clear and thin. Yellowish or greenish mucus indicates a serious infection in the respiratory tract.

If an infant's cough is wet, does not go away within a month and is not accompanied by an increase in temperature, this may be a sign of pneumonia, tracheitis or chronic bronchitis. The bronchi of children older than six months are capable of self-cleaning, but in newborns and babies up to 5-6 months, this function has not matured. A cough occurs when mucus irritates the back wall of the nasopharynx and flows down.

Basic therapy

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Treatment of cough is always individual and is prescribed only after examination by a doctor. The course depends on the nature of the disease and includes:

  • Antipyretic drugs. If the temperature rises when coughing, syrups with ibuprofen or paracetamol will help reduce it.

If the cough is accompanied by a high temperature, syrup will help bring it down
  • Antiviral medications. ARVI can be treated with immunomodulatory drugs. Doctors recommend using Viferon suppositories, since they have no contraindications or age restrictions (we recommend reading:). The drug can be prescribed to children from birth to one year.
  • Rinse the nasal passages. If the baby is having trouble breathing thick snot, he sneezes and begins to breathe through his mouth (we recommend reading:). After a short period of time, the mucous membranes in the mouth and throat will dry out, and the child will cough. Before going to bed, it is important to rinse the baby’s nose with saline or saline solution. During the day, you can instill 3 drops into each nostril 4 to 8 times. After the rinsing procedure, it is useful to put drops in the nose oil solution“Ectericide” in a dosage of 1 drop. This will create a thin layer on the mucous membranes. protective layer medicines.
  • Homeopathy. To cure an infant's cough, pediatricians prescribe drugs based on natural products. Particularly popular is the Stondal syrup, which has proven itself to be an excellent antitussive, bronchodilator and expectorant.

If you have a runny nose, it is forbidden to use it for the treatment of infants. antibacterial drops. Sometimes the doctor may prescribe vasoconstrictor, if the toddler sneezes, but not for the treatment of ARVI.

If you have a cough one month old baby accompanied by snot, but the temperature remains within normal limits, this may indicate pharyngitis, laryngitis or rhinitis of allergic etiology.

Cough remedies for infants

Grudnichkov and one-year-old babies can be treated with safe forms of medications - drops and syrups. Cough medications are divided into three groups:

  1. Mucolytic. They are produced on the basis of hydrochloride, acetylcysteine, bromhexine and ambroxol, which thin out thick mucus in the respiratory tract. Among the popular ones are: “Mukodin”, “Flavamed”, “Fluditek”, “Mukosol”, “Bromhexine”, “Ambrobene”, “Lazolvan”. Syrups are given to children under one year of age, but only after consultation with a pediatrician.
  2. Antitussives. Prescribed for dry cough, which has the form of attacks. The drugs reduce the occurrence of the cough reflex, which is most effective in the treatment of whooping cough. Among the contraindications childhood up to 2 years. Panatus and Sinecod syrups are approved for children in the first year of life if therapy is carried out under the strict supervision of a doctor.
  3. Expectorants. They are effective if a month-old baby’s cough is wet, but the sputum is difficult to clear (more details in the article:). Syrups based on plantain or ivy extract are prescribed. Additionally, the composition includes herbal ingredients: coltsfoot, wild rosemary, thyme, oregano, elecampane, marshmallow, licorice, anise, thyme. Among known drugs recommended: “Prospan”, “Doctor MOM”, “Gedelix”, “Bronchicum” and “Dr” (we recommend reading:). Theiss." "Prospan" and "Bronchicum" are allowed from 4-6 months. A one-month-old baby may be allergic to herbs, so you need to monitor the baby’s well-being. When skin rash or swelling, you should stop taking the medication and visit your pediatrician.

If a newborn sneezes and coughs, the dosage of the drug is calculated by the doctor (we recommend reading:). An overdose of an expectorant medicine is dangerous, since the cough of a one-month-old baby may be prolonged. The volume of mucus secreted will increase, but a baby aged from a month to a year cannot physically cough it up.

It is prohibited to combine antitussive and expectorant medications, as the manufacturers warn about in the instructions. When a cough is suppressed and a large volume of mucus is produced at the same time, pneumonia occurs.


Expectorant syrup Gedelix improves sputum discharge

First aid for a baby

Before the doctor arrives, parents can follow simple tips to alleviate the baby’s condition. At home, it is difficult to determine why a baby is coughing and sneezing, but you can help reduce negative symptoms:

  1. Drink plenty of fluids. If a newborn is coughing, then only water is allowed to drink. At natural feeding it is necessary to offer the breast more often. Do not forget that high temperature leads to dehydration. Danger signal Don't miss it if you watch the diaper filling. If you urinate infrequently (once every 4 hours), you need to start drinking water from your little one. Babies from six months of age are offered raisin water, a decoction of rose hips or linden, diluted juice or dried fruit uzvar.
  2. Minimum clothing. The warmer the baby is dressed, the faster he loses moisture. The mucous membranes dry out, so the baby begins to cough.
  3. Walks in the open air. If the child has a cough, but other health indicators are normal, short walks are allowed. The exceptions are weather when there is severe frost outside. Don’t be alarmed if your baby only coughed during the day, but in the evening after a walk the cough intensified. This leads to better mucus removal.
  4. Comfortable air humidity. To dry painful cough turned into wet, it is not necessary to resort to medications. It is enough to set the air humidity in the house at 50-70%. The temperature in the room where the baby is located should not rise above 22 C. 18 C is considered ideal, otherwise the sputum in the respiratory tract will be more viscous and thick.
  5. Safe inhalations. Steam treatments Do not do this to avoid burns to the skin and mucous membranes. If the baby coughs, it is recommended to install it next to the playpen during the illness. Doctors advise filling a bathtub for a dry cough. hot water by adding soda to it. Then take the baby in your arms and sit in the bathroom, inhaling the moist alkaline fumes.

Walking in the fresh air will help your baby recover faster and speed up recovery.

Additional measures: do's and don'ts

Wet cough one-year-old children often accompanied by difficult-to-remove mucus. In this case, drainage massage will help. You can invite a specialist to your home who does professional massage babies, but the mother can carry out some manipulations on her own:

  • lay the baby on his back;
  • place your palms on the chest and stroke it from bottom to top;
  • turn the baby over on his stomach;
  • “walk” along the back with gentle circular movements, avoiding the spine area.

The massage should be completed with light pats from bottom to top. It is advisable to position the baby so that the head is below the buttocks.

Fearing negative consequences from taking medications, mothers, on the advice of grandmothers, resort to the use of traditional medicine. Pediatricians are categorically against such experiments on children’s bodies:

  1. Thoughtless manipulations almost always lead to the opposite effect. Compresses with dry mustard, vinegar or vodka cause burns and poisoning. Dangerous spasms of the bronchi and larynx often occur.
  2. Babies in the first year of life develop allergies to medicinal herbs, That's why breast training, infusions and decoctions should be used after consultation with a specialist.

We must not forget that the time of shortages has long passed, and medicine does not stand still. The pharmaceutical industry can offer a lot of effective and safe drugs.


Effective and efficient for adults healing herbs not always suitable for infants

Expert opinion

Evgeniy Olegovich Komarovsky does not see anything terrible in the cough reflex, since it is inherent in all people. The resulting snot flows down the nasopharynx in children, so the body is forced to get rid of mucus. When diseases of the upper respiratory tract or lungs occur, the volume of sputum increases and is removed through a natural reflex.

If the snot in the nose dries out, it becomes difficult to breathe, leading to further complications. Komarovsky believes that preventing mucus from drying out in the bronchi is also important if the little one coughs. It is necessary to provide the baby with enough fluids and provide access to fresh, cool air. Without consulting a doctor, it is prohibited to use antitussive drugs, which are effective only for whooping cough. It is permissible to use mucolytic and expectorant drugs if it is evening outside and you need to act somehow.

Symptoms of any type of cough allow you to visit a pediatrician and get necessary recommendations. The following drugs are effective and relatively safe:

  • lazolvan;
  • acetylcysteine;
  • bromhexine;
  • potassium iodide;
  • mucaltin;
  • ammonia-anise drops.

They should be in home medicine cabinet, but the dosage is determined by the doctor. The specialist will also advise on the advisability of using a particular medicine.


Mucaltin is an inexpensive but very effective expectorant drug

The danger of complications after ARVI is the development acute bronchitis or pneumonia, secondary bacterial infections are not uncommon. The baby is prescribed antibiotics in tandem with additional medicines. Similar treatment will negatively affect the formation immune system, but there is no other way out. For this reason, Komarovsky recommends not to self-medicate, contact specialists in a timely manner and not expose the baby to danger. If a child experiences pneumonia before the age of 2 months, the alveoli of the lung remain affected and stop developing.

Unfortunately, every parent sooner or later encounters illnesses in their children. Of course, in such cases, consultation with a pediatrician is required, especially if the child is very small. But parents must have at least a minimal understanding of various ailments, to provide assistance to the baby and alleviate his condition until the doctor arrives.

One of the most common signs ailments are cough and runny nose without fever, or accompanied by its increase. To know how to treat a dry cough in a child without fever, you need to know what caused it. For example, a cough in an infant without fever may occur during teething due to the associated profuse salivation, or milk or tears getting into the larynx.

  • Then, of course, there is no need to treat him, but only if necessary, help the baby so that he does not choke. It is important to maintain a comfortable air temperature and humidity in the room where the child is. You need to be especially careful when the heating is on. The air temperature recommended by pediatricians is 18°-20°, humidity is 50%-70%.
  • With warmer and drier air, the mucous membrane dries out, which can cause a sore throat. Famous doctor Komarovsky considers the creation of these conditions to be the basis for development strong immunity child. To further moisturize the mucous membrane, you can use sea water.
  • However, if, when all these conditions are met, the cough does not go away, then you need to look for other reasons. Not many people know that a cough without snot and fever can be a consequence of neurology. This manifestation of the disorder may be caused by stress or strong excitement. Help to cope with symptoms sedative fees and warm baths before bed.

Also for mental health It is important to maintain a daily routine and a comfortable atmosphere in the family.

A dry cough without fever may be one of the signs of an allergic reaction. Most often it begins with direct contact with the allergen.

May be accompanied by difficulty breathing, or eye redness or itching. Snot without fever, especially of a seasonal nature, is also often a sign of allergies. If a child has a prolonged cough without fever, parents should remove carpets from the house, give up pets, wash the floors at least once a day and ventilate the room often.

If necessary, spirometry is used to examine respiratory function. Only after this the allergist selects treatment. Currently, “hay fever” can be quite successfully corrected.

Folk remedies do not cure allergies; they can only worsen the condition. And then a seemingly harmless dry cough without fever can develop into a severe one. pulmonary disease– asthma. She is characterized by long cough no fever, cough with whistling. Unlike many diseases in which it hurts chest cough, with asthma, it is difficult to exhale, not inhale.

Coughing attacks often torment a child at night, or after physical activity. The disease is characterized by: difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, whistling in the lungs without fever. Night attack This can be alleviated by placing several pillows under the patient. Currently, there is no cure for asthma; there are only means to maintain the patient’s normal condition – remission.

Therefore, if a child has a prolonged cough - a month or more - it is necessary to consult an allergist to rule out an asthmatic component. Adenoiditis. A child's slightly open mouth during the day or while sleeping indicates problems with the adenoids.

When they become inflamed, mucus is formed, which flows down the pharynx and irritates the throat, which can also cause a dry cough without fever. This cough will get worse at night. In this case, an ENT specialist will help, who, if necessary, will make a compress, which will immediately alleviate the condition of the little patient.

The otolaryngologist will also prescribe treatment for the nasopharynx, which means the snot will stop flowing and the cough issue will be resolved. In such cases, thinning medications are often prescribed to better remove mucus from the nose.

  • A cough and runny nose without fever can be a consequence of a cold. In this case they can help folk remedies– warm foot baths, plenty of warm drink(especially fruit drinks or tea with raspberries). Warming up the back with cups or mustard plasters is a good idea.
  • Inhalation with chamomile or soda will help stop a severe cough without fever. However, it must be remembered that these manipulations are allowed only in the absence of fever. The child needs rest, so you should wait a while to go outside. A wet cough without fever usually does not require the use of medications.
  • To maintain immunity, it is recommended to include foods containing vitamin C in the baby’s diet; nutrition should be complete. A cough with sputum without fever usually goes away within a couple of weeks. If the cough is dry and there is viscous sputum in the respiratory tract, then treatment involves taking mucolytics to thin it and cough it up.
  • There are a great variety of these drugs now - Mucaltin, Gerbion, Lazolvan and many others, so the drug should be prescribed children's doctor. True, the opinions of doctors sometimes differ; for example, Dr. Komarovsky generally opposes similar drugs, especially for children under 2 years old. He believes that there will be more risk and harm than benefit.

And that if you rinse your nose with salt water, ventilate the room often and give the child plenty of fluids, then the symptoms of the disease will go away in the same time as when taking similar medications. A sore throat and cough without fever can be cured by gargling with chamomile or calendula.

It is good to give the baby milk and honey - it softens the throat and calms the baby. To make the pain go away faster, you can give Lizobact or Faringosept.

Bacterial infections

When coughing, use antibiotics only when indicated. These include persistent cough and accession bacterial infection when an ordinary dry cough without fever turns into bronchitis or even pneumonia.

With these diseases, the baby has a dull cough, and wheezing can be heard in the lungs. Coughs can be cured in such cases by means of thinning and removing mucus.

  • Many doctors, including Komarovsky, for these diseases recommend walking in the fresh air, of course in good weather. After treatment is completed, coughing often remains. Typically, residual effects disappear within two weeks to a month, sometimes a little longer.
  • Laryngitis and tracheitis are more common in very young children.

Main symptoms:

  1. Hoarseness of voice;
  2. Severe cough without fever, similar to barking.

Treatment is carried out with the help of mucolytics, as aids give antihistamines. A very severe cough in a child without fever causes laryngeal stenosis (another name is “false croup”).

  • This is a very dangerous and rapid disease, so when it starts, without wasting time, you need to call an ambulance.

Symptoms of stenosis:

  1. difficulty breathing;
  2. bluish or marbling of the skin;
  3. a dull cough with a whistling sound, or barking cough no fever.

Parents should know how to calm a cough before the ambulance arrives. The first thing you should do is give your child allergy medicine - it will relieve the spasm, it is advisable to inhale it with soda or special drugs, or let them breathe warm steam.

Infectious diseases

Among the most dangerous children infectious diseases The respiratory tract produces whooping cough, which can also cause a dry cough without fever.

  • Infectivity is almost 100%. It starts out like a normal acute respiratory infection. With this disease, hypoxia develops; it is especially dangerous for babies under one year of age due to possible respiratory arrest during an attack.

Special symptoms:

  1. persistent severe cough without fever, which often ends in sputum production or even vomiting.
  2. During an attack, the face turns red and the child lacks air.

It will be easier for the baby to breathe outside, so walks are necessary. Treatment is long - about 3 months, drugs are prescribed depending on the course of the disease and accompanying symptoms. However, parents should know how to stop coughing. For such purposes, there are a number of drugs that block cough at the level of the brain.

Parents should be aware that the basis of most of these drugs is codeine, so their use should be strictly as prescribed by a doctor. In any case, no matter what Dr. Komarovsky advises or parents write on forums, parents should still seek qualified medical care appointment. And even rare cough should not be ignored.

Bronchospasm - reflex reaction to irritation of the respiratory tract by a foreign or inflammatory agent. A dry cough is a sign of a current illness; it is not an independent disease.

TEST: Why do you have a cough?

How long have you been coughing?

Is your cough combined with a runny nose and is most noticeable in the morning (after sleep) and in the evening (already in bed)?

The cough can be described as:

You characterize the cough as:

Can you tell that the cough is deep (to understand this, take more air into your lungs and cough)?

During a coughing attack, you feel pain in the abdomen and/or chest (pain in the intercostal muscles and abdominals)?

Do you smoke?

Pay attention to the nature of the mucus that is released during a cough (it doesn’t matter how much it is: a little or a lot). She:

Do you feel dull pain in the chest, which does not depend on movements and is of an “internal” nature (as if the center of pain is in the lung itself)?

Are you worried about shortness of breath (during physical activity, you quickly become out of breath and get tired, your breathing becomes faster, followed by a lack of air)?

Etiology

The appearance of a dry cough significantly impairs normal functioning child's body. The exception is isolated cases of coughing, which are typical for normal functioning. respiratory system.

A non-productive (dry) cough is a complex protective-compensatory reflex that is not accompanied by secretion (sputum).

Causes of dry cough:

A dry cough often appears without fever. During the development of the underlying disease, it can transform into a productive (wet) disease, go away on its own or persist throughout the entire period of the disease (in which case treatment is necessary).

Clinical features

Dry cough is divided into:

  • spicy;
  • chronic;
  • seasonal;
  • periodic;
  • night or day;
  • spastic (paroxysmal).

Respiratory diseases

Almost all are spicy respiratory infections subsequently accompanied by the appearance of bronchospasms. Inflammatory processes of the respiratory system in children early age are the most difficult. This is explained anatomical features respiratory tract in children. The lumen of the nasal passages and bronchi at such a young age is very narrow due to their physiological immaturity.

Causes a dry cough during respiratory diseases irritation of reflexogenic areas back wall throat down which flows thick mucus from upper sections respiratory tract. In this case, the mucous membrane of the pharynx and bronchi is dry, swollen, and reddened. Bronchospasm occurs in the first two to three days of illness, develops quickly and is aggravated by swelling of the mucous membrane and shortness of breath.

With high resistance to the pathogen, a dry cough is not accompanied by an increase in temperature. It usually occurs in combination with damage to the nasopharynx (dry throat, sore throat, runny nose) and is a consequence of inflammation of its mucous membrane. When the underlying disease is eliminated, bronchospasm goes away on its own.

Looseness of the pharyngeal mucosa contributes to the development of throat diseases. Inflammation of the lymphoid tissue due to dry epithelium provokes the occurrence of a reflex frequent cough without sputum production.

Worm infestation

Infectious diseases

Some infectious diseases provoke the development of cough, which manifests itself as a residual phenomenon after an illness. Thus, with whooping cough, over time, a dry, hysterical cough occurs, which, against the background of an improvement in general health, noticeably intensifies. This dry cough in children without fever lasts for several months. From 5 to 50 paroxysmal cough impulses occur per day.

Even after recovery in this case, it is noted increased excitability cough center, since the etiotropic pertussis toxin continues to act on the cough center in the brain and forms a focus of excitation. Subsequently, the cough becomes frequent, painful and annoying.

There is an increase in bronchospasms in the evening and at night, and children's sleep is disturbed. A dry cough is paroxysmal in nature with a reprise (difficulty inhaling with a characteristic whistle), and may be accompanied by breath holding and vomiting.

With whooping cough, the cough does not transform into a wet cough. It remains dry and painful throughout the recovery period. Between coughing attacks the child feels well.

Let us remind you that fungal infection also leads to the development of a dry cough.

Frequent coughing throughout the day long period(several months) may indicate tuberculosis of the lungs. However, final conclusions are drawn after additional research and consultations with a phthisiatrician.

Allergies and asthma

An allergic cough is also not accompanied by an increase in body temperature. Bronchospasm occurs as a consequence of the action of an allergen on the child’s body. A dry cough is only a symptom of a systemic pathology. Manifests:

  • periodically (seasonally) – during the flowering of some plants, may be accompanied by rhinitis, conjunctivitis;
  • during the underlying disease - as a result of the use of certain medicines, sometimes accompanied by skin reaction(rash, itching).
  • as a sign of complicated allergies in bronchial asthma.

Pathologies of the cardiovascular system or gastrointestinal tract

A dry cough in a child without fever sometimes occurs as a result of cardiac decompensation and pathology gastrointestinal tract. Cardiac bronchospasm is also accompanied by shortness of breath, cyanosis of the mucous membranes, fast fatiguability child. The cough gets worse with physical activity.

The occurrence of dry bronchospasm, especially in young children, is observed with gastroesophageal reflux. Attacks occur during or immediately after feeding.

Foreign bodies in the respiratory tract

The sudden appearance of a dry cough may be a sign of foreign bodies entering the child's airway. The temperature does not rise, but general state bad. The baby is worried and coughs constantly. Over time, without identifying the cause of bronchospasm and adequate assistance a foreign body moves into lower sections respiratory tract, and the general condition appears to be normalized. But such an improvement is deceptive: pneumonia may subsequently develop, Chronical bronchitis. During this period, a dry cough transforms into a wet one and purulent mucus is coughed up. Possible increase in body temperature.

Important! If you suspect that a foreign body has entered the child's respiratory tract, you should immediately consult a doctor. You should not try to remove the object yourself if it is far enough away: during manipulation the mucous membrane will be injured. X-ray diagnostics should be performed as early as possible.

Violation of the indoor microclimate

Deviation from the normal parameters of the microclimate in the room leads to the appearance of a dry cough. Heat external environment(23°C and above) and low humidity (less than 70%) causes drying of the nasopharyngeal mucosa and the occurrence of a reflex cough. In this case, bronchospasm is frequent, superficial in the form of coughing. Air pollution, exposure to tobacco smoke during passive smoking also provokes irritation of the respiratory tract and the occurrence of this symptom.

Influence external stimuli on the child's body ( tobacco smoke, chemicals) causes a dry cough without accompanying symptoms inflammatory process.

In children of adolescence or preschool age sometimes there is a dry neurogenic cough as a result constant stress. Such bronchospasm appears in day period. There is no cough at night, which is explained by a decrease in psycho-emotional stress child. Explained this pathology gap reflex arc"central nervous system- cough center.

Treatment

Elimination of dry cough is necessary, even if it is not accompanied by fever. For successful treatment bronchospasms, it is necessary to clearly determine the cause of their occurrence, take into account the course of the disease and the nature of the cough.

Features of the treatment of dry cough without fever:

  1. If you have an allergic cough, you should stop exposing the patient to the allergic agent. Antiallergic drugs are often used. Do not smoke in the presence of a child, spray in indoors volatiles.
  2. For invasive cough, treatment consists of eliminating the cause of the disease - removing worms.

Getting rid of dry cough in children without fever always means A complex approach to treatment and a strict assessment of the appropriateness of the use of drugs. It should be remembered that bronchospasm can be both a symptom of a disease and normal reaction body to a stimulus. If a cough occurs systematically and persistently, a doctor's consultation is required.

Coughing is a natural reflex response to a foreign object entering the respiratory tract. A similar object is often sputum (mucous exudate). A similar phenomenon may develop when the mucous membranes of the lower and upper respiratory tract dry out.

Children are most susceptible to development similar symptom, since they are more likely to suffer from acute respiratory diseases in various variations similar condition. What do you need to know about the treatment of such a complex manifestation?

How to treat a child’s cough without fever - basic methods

In treatment, preference is given to two main methods of therapy:

  • Taking specialized pharmaceuticals.
  • Inhalations.

Additional methods are traditional therapy(herbal medicine), as well as physiotherapy.

Briefly about the groups of drugs for treatment

In the treatment of both dry and wet cough apply pharmaceuticals the following groups:

Drug categoryCharacteristic
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

They are used to relieve the inflammatory process localized in the upper or lower respiratory tract. Prescribed exclusively by a doctor because they lubricate clinical picture and change the nature of the disease, causing imaginary well-being.

Ibuprofen, Nurofen and others are suitable.

Expectorants

They promote rapid discharge of sputum of any nature, as they strengthen the cough reflex and contribute to irritation of the epithelium of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract.

These are ACC, Ambrohexal, etc.

Mucolytics

They have a similar effect to expectorants, but this is only at first glance. In fact, mucolytics, unlike “related” drugs, not only stimulate the rapid evacuation of mucous exudate, but also dilute the sputum, helping it to pass away more easily.

This includes Mucaltin, Bromhexine, etc.

Drugs for stopping the reflex at a generalized level

Inhibits the cough center of the brain.

Persistent cough

Prolonged cough is observed in acute respiratory diseases of a protracted, chronic nature:

  • tracheitis,
  • laryngitis,
  • bronchitis,
  • pharyngitis,
  • rhinitis,
  • sinusitis.

Also, a long-term reflex is noted when allergic nature defeats.

Required complex treatment with the use of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, expectorants and mucolytics (with wet form), depressant drugs in the dry form. Allergies can be treated with antihistamines and bronchodilators.

Residual cough after illness

It is observed as a result of bronchitis and other acute respiratory diseases, including pneumonia. The painful manifestation is characterized by a long, weak, almost sluggish course. The cough is non-productive and has a temporary, paroxysmal nature.

Treatment is symptomatic. The underlying disease is treated with anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and antibiotics. The symptom is relieved with depressants.

Barking cough

Laryngitis is the most painful disease. It is typical for him to develop a barking cough of a constant nature. A dry, barking cough is the hallmark of laryngitis. It can occur with a runny nose or without fever and snot.

Scheme: Laryngitis in a child

It is treated by taking drugs that depress the cough center and drugs to reduce the sensitivity of peripheral receptors.

The child has inhaled or swallowed a foreign body

In case of acute asphyxia, first aid is required. It is necessary to grab the child from behind and tilt him forward. Fix one hand behind your back, clench the other into a fist and place it in the epigastric region. Rhythmically and sharply compress the chest and diaphragm area repeatedly. This will help.

If foreign body located in the respiratory tract long time, inflammation forms. The result is a prolonged, painful cough with an increase in body temperature. IN mandatory radiography and bronchoscopy are performed (with diagnostic and medicinal purposes).

Briefly about treatment methods for children of different ages

Children under one year old

Gerbion syrup for dry cough

It is recommended to take safe medications and perform safe inhalations (see below). Appointed:

  • Gerbion,
  • Ambrohexal,
  • Ambrobene,
  • Gedelix,
  • Bronchicum,
  • Lazolvan
  • and other medications.

How to treat a cough with a runny nose in an infant without fever?

In addition to these drugs, indicated steam inhalations passive type. hot water pour into a bathtub or basin and allow the child to breathe the steam for 5 minutes. This is an effective method.

Children from one to three years old

Let’s say you take the same medications plus Codelac and Sinecoda. Additionally, antibiotics are often prescribed.

Schoolchildren, teenagers

There are no restrictions on the use of drugs by schoolchildren and adolescents aged 6-12 years. You can take all of the above medications. Specific names are selected only by the doctor. Additionally, inhalations (traditional treatment methods) are indicated.

Depending on the type of cough, it is necessary to take medications for its dry or wet form, respectively.

Traditional methods of treating cough without fever - recipes

There is no talk of any phytotherapeutic preparations. There is a high risk of developing allergic reactions.

Therefore, preference is given to the safest methods.

Inhalations with soda

  • A teaspoon of soda.
  • Glass of water.

Dissolve sodium salt in boiling water and stir. Breathe steam for 3-5 minutes.

Inhalations with salt

  • A teaspoon of soda.
  • A teaspoon of salt.
  • A glass of boiling water.

Mix the ingredients. Breathe for 5-7 minutes.

Inhalations with chamomile

They help moisturize the mucous membrane and relieve inflammation. Facilitate the reflex and help thin the mucus. Take:

  • A teaspoon of crushed chamomile flowers.
  • A glass of boiling water.

Breathe over the container for 5-7 minutes.

These folk remedies are universal and help cope with coughs of any type (dry and wet). However, when allergic form they are useless. This form reflex requires drug treatment.

When should you consult a doctor?

Anyway. As soon as a cough begins, the child should be consulted by a pediatrician. Next, the doctor will decide who needs to be consulted and how to treat the young patient.

Doctor Komarovsky's opinion

Dr. Komarovsky points out that cough is only a manifestation. It is not he who needs to be treated, but the underlying disease. In addition, the reflex is not always negative. Often he has positive value, because it helps remove pathogens from the human body.