Protracted cough with sputum in a child Komarovsky. A child has a wet cough. When to call a doctor

When a child coughs, this causes increased concern among parents, as well as educators. kindergarten if the child attends this institution. At the same time, the baby feels well, the body temperature remains normal, there are no symptoms of redness of the throat or runny nose. What happens to the child, as evidenced by a cough in the child’s body.

Komarovsky about dry cough

A children's pediatrician, well known to all parents, Mr. Komarovsky notes that most parents admit gross mistake showing excessive care to the child. For example, as soon as the air temperature drops, parents immediately begin to wrap up the child, putting on several shirts and socks. Unfortunately, practice shows that there is no need to do this, because a child cannot be cold with a slight decrease in temperature environment due to his activity. After all, children do not stand in one place. They are always running, playing, frolicking, etc.

And as soon as a child coughs, mustard plasters, mixtures, and pills are immediately used. But the cough doesn’t go away. Dr. Komarovsky is sure that in this situation the cough does not disappear for only one reason. Its independent manifestation most likely only signals that something is happening in the body. pathological changes. Which ones exactly? This needs to be understood correctly.

Main causes of cough

A child's cough may occur due to an allergic reaction or infection. But if the body temperature remains normal and there is no runny nose, then there is no reason to talk about an infectious disease. Allergy remains. If parents have not previously noticed an allergic reaction in their child, they therefore rule it out. At the same time, few people monitor the level of humidity in their living space. Air conditioners, radiators, etc. increase air dryness. And if you examine the room more closely, you can even see dust, which often provokes coughing.

But what should parents do if they have removed all the irritants, but the cough does not go away for a long time? Only a pediatrician will help them cope with this matter.

How to relieve coughing attacks

The first thing Dr. Komarovsky recommends is to check for a runny nose, examine the mucus, the thickness of which indicates the consistency of the blood. So, sputum is liquid, which means the consistency of blood is also liquid. With thicker, more viscous blood, viscous sputum will be produced. Accordingly, parents should provide the child with plenty of fluids, which helps thin the blood.

Second rule: monitor the humidity level in the room. If a child has a dry cough, then it is extremely necessary for him to be in a room where the air is humid. For this purpose, you can use special humidifiers.

And if the child feels fine, it is advisable for him to spend more time in the fresh air.
The doctor reminds that there are two types of cough medicines: drugs that doctors recommend for whooping cough, and mucolytics, which increase sputum. The latter can sometimes increase the intensity of the cough.

If you have a cough infant, then giving mucolytics to a baby is dangerous. In general, it is highly undesirable for children under 2 years of age to take mucolytics. Without any risk to his health, it is possible and necessary to provide treatment, which involves drinking plenty of fluids, rinsing the nose and humidifying the room.

Summing up the conversation about cough without fever, Komarovsky once again focuses the attention of parents on how to treat the child:

Humid and cool indoor air
drinking plenty of water,
finding out the cause that provoked the symptom,
visit to the doctor.

We advise you to watch the video at the end of this article, where Dr. Komarovsky explains the treatment of dry or wet cough, what to do if there is no fever or runny nose, and how to independently determine the cause that caused this reflex.
And there are many reasons that cause coughing: from the most harmless to the dangerous.

Cough in infants

Cough can often be observed in infants. Moreover, it appears after waking up, after which the urge disappears and breathing returns to normal. Komarovsky assures that this is normal phenomenon, and the child does not need treatment. Coughing after waking up is a signal from the lungs, which thus get rid of the phlegm that has accumulated while the child sleeps.

You only need to be wary if the child has a hysterical and barking dry cough, which is accompanied by a fever.

Treatment is also necessary if a child’s dry cough lasts for some time and relief does not occur.

Dry and barking cough may indicate that your baby has whooping cough. Listen to exactly how the child coughs. If a characteristic strong rumble appears in the chest, then most likely the child has whooping cough. But to make sure of your diagnosis, be sure to show it to your doctor.

And the last point that Komarovsky calls if a child has a cough without fever and there is no runny nose is reflux disease of the esophagus. Stomach acid enters the respiratory system, causing a dry cough.

The cause of a cough may be ordinary household dust, which tends to accumulate in soft toys and pillows. In this situation, it is necessary to remove all irritants and regularly wet cleaning. Treatment consists of limiting the baby from contact with chemical dyes, and maintain a gentle diet

How to treat a cough without fever

Cough in children should be treated only after the diagnosis has been correctly determined. To get rid of a cough, you first need to get rid of the cause that caused it in the child.

The general rule when treating any type of cough is to drink plenty of fluids at room temperature. The most effective are decoctions based on honey, raspberries, blueberries and lingonberries.

However, the doctor once again emphasizes that there is no need to treat children for cough using the Internet. On the Internet you can only find out the main symptoms of the disease you suspect. And only a healthcare specialist can prescribe treatment, especially for children.

To become more familiar with Dr. Komarovsky’s recommendations, we advise you to listen to the video lesson, from which each of you can take a lot of useful information for yourself. Firstly, you will find out whether systematic coughing of a child can cause a complication, while no symptoms of a cold are observed: there is no high fever, runny nose and headache. In this case, the cough does not stop for more than a week. Is treatment necessary in this situation?

A video consultation with Dr. Komarovsky will allow you to learn a lot of new and useful information about maintaining the health of children.

There are no parents who have not encountered a wet cough in their child. This symptom indicates a respiratory tract disease, which is often caused by a viral or bacterial infection. With the onset of cold weather, wet cough becomes a widespread phenomenon for those children who attend nurseries. preschool institutions and schools. Dr. Komarovsky knows how to treat the most various diseases. Let's take a look at his tips for treating wet cough.

Causes of cough

Cough is a consequence of irritation of cough receptors, which transmit signals to the cough center located in the brain. And irritation of the receptors occurs due to mucus or sputum formed on the inflamed mucous membrane of the nasopharynx or respiratory tract in a child.

A common cause of this inflammation in children is infectious diseases of the respiratory system. These diseases can be viral (ARVI, influenza) or bacterial (laryngitis, pharyngitis, pneumonia) in nature.

A more serious and dangerous infectious cause of cough may be tuberculosis, which Lately is increasingly making itself felt, as well as whooping cough and diphtheria. Treatment of such diseases is carried out only under the supervision of a doctor.

Wet cough the child may have it due to an allergic reaction to various stimuli. These irritants or, in other words, allergens can be natural, seasonal, for example, pollen from certain plants, as well as household ones. The latter include various paints and varnishes, household chemicals, washing powders, dust and pet hair.

In children moist cough may appear due to functional disorders organism, for example, bronchial asthma. Treatment of this disease is not simple and requires constant adherence to preventive measures.

How to determine

Any treatment of diseases, especially in young children, requires a diagnosis, emphasizes Dr. Komarovsky. As mentioned above, there are many reasons for a wet cough. Therefore it is very important to install the real reason diseases. Many parents rush to treat their child's wet cough with antibiotics. Dr. Komarovsky warns against such a rash step. If this symptom is caused by a viral infection, then taking antibacterial drugs instead of benefit, it can only do harm.

It’s another matter if there is confidence that the child became infected from one of his relatives or close people, accurate diagnosis diseases that have already been diagnosed by a doctor. Then with a high degree of probability we can assume that the baby has the same cause of the disease. This gives some reasons to start treatment according to a similar scheme. But in any case of illness in children, they should be examined by a doctor. Sometimes alone visual inspection and auditions chest the child may not have enough. Then tests are taken, for example, a swab from the larynx for bacterial culture and hardware research is carried out.

How to treat

The modern pharmacological industry produces a significant range of all kinds of drugs. Among the whole variety, two main groups can be distinguished: expectorants and cough medicines. Dr. Komarovsky warns against the thoughtless use of both. What causes this?

Expectorants serve to dilute the mucus and phlegm in the child’s respiratory tract, which for some reason may have thickened and therefore is difficult to cough up. Under the influence of this drug, the mucus thins and increases in volume. This is where it lurks, as Dr. Komarovsky points out, main danger. Instead of treating and alleviating the health condition, children may experience deterioration. The reason for this is simple. The respiratory muscles in children are still quite weak and may simply not cope with the sharply increased volume of mucus.

Dr. Komarovsky carefully recommends using cough suppressants when treating children. These medications block cough reflexes. For this reason, mucus that has accumulated in the respiratory tract will not be removed from it. Stagnation of mucus leads to the fact that it becomes thick, and this negatively affects health.

At the same time, Dr. Komarovsky points out simple ways in which children can be treated simply and affordably. Parents should first provide their child with plenty of warm drinks. A sufficient amount of fluid in the body will ensure the natural dilution of sputum and mucus, improving its expectoration. For better and faster absorption by the body, the temperature of the drink should be close to body temperature.

Another important condition for successfully treating diseases is to ensure conditions under which the patient does not lose fluid from the body through breathing and sweating. For this purpose, Dr. Komarovsky recommends maintaining a temperature in children's rooms of up to 22 degrees with a humidity close to 60 percent. In other words, the air should be cool and humid. In addition, if the baby does not have a high temperature, walks in the fresh air are recommended.

Following these rules will help you quickly cure the disease and restore your health. In addition, disease prevention is no less important stage in the life of every child. Prevention lies in compliance simple rules hardening the baby. This is clean cool air, regular walks, hardening water procedures, active games and creating an optimal climate in children's rooms.

Video “Children’s cough and its treatment”

To cope with a problem such as dry or wet cough in children, we advise you to look next video. Practical advice will help you decide on the type of treatment.

Wet cough in a child

Cough is one of the common manifestations of respiratory tract disease. Unfortunately, it is often not possible to protect children from such diseases. It is not uncommon for your child to have a wet cough without fever. Dr. Komarovsky has thoroughly looked into this problem, and he notes that with such symptoms, it is imperative to immediately contact a pediatrician if the cough intensifies in the evening before bed, despite the fact that it cannot stop, hoarse breathing, greenish color or with blood fragments when coughing.

For a wet cough, Komarovsky advises using only expectorants:

• Bromhexine;
• Doctor Mom;
• Lazolvan.

Parents should also carefully monitor the air their child breathes. The house should always be ventilated and the air humidified. Moreover, it is recommended to drink plenty of fluids, for example, tea with lemon and honey is good. So children's body gets rid of toxins.

Sometimes the cough becomes very long-lasting, and then the question arises: how to quickly cure bronchitis in a child? The cause of this disease may be viruses or bacteria that have entered the body and provoked an inflammatory process. Very often, parents may mistake the child’s poor health as a viral disease and begin giving antibiotics. This should not be done, because the virus does not respond to antibiotics at all, and this method of treatment will not only not benefit the recovery, but can also harm the child. But how to cure a child’s bronchitis at home? There are several ways:

1. Drink plenty of water, not only water, but also vitamin teas, various herbal infusions, this helps get rid of phlegm.
2. At high temperatures (38 degrees and above), it is necessary to give the child antipyretic drugs. You need to be very careful, because fever can have a very bad effect on a child’s body.
3. Avoid stuffiness and high temperature in the room, as such air does not allow phlegm to leave the body, causing further education clots.

Parents often practice a treatment method such as therapeutic massage; it also perfectly helps to expectorate mucus and promotes further recovery.

What to do for obstructive bronchitis

There is also a type of bronchitis called obstructive bronchitis. This is an inflammation of the bronchial mucosa, which leads to disruption of bronchial conduction, accumulation of mucus and the occurrence of obstruction syndrome. With this illness, the child may experience a severe irritating cough, high temperature (about 38-39 degrees), redness of the throat and progression of the runny nose. If a child has a tendency to allergic manifestations, you need to be careful, since obstructive bronchitis can cause allergic rhinitis.

If your baby experiences all of the above symptoms, you should immediately contact a specialist - an ENT doctor or a pediatrician. The doctor will prescribe medications to help relieve inflammation of the mucous membranes, as well as normalize body temperature. Often the doctor prescribes them, they cope well with bronchospasm, as well as their dilation. IN in this case Also, antibiotics are completely useless if the disease is not accompanied by infection, as happens with acute form that arose against the background of influenza. But what can parents do when obstructive bronchitis? How to cure it?

Do not forget about regular rinsing of the nasopharynx. Preparations containing silver are suitable to combat the runny nose and the proliferation of viruses and bacteria. Used to normalize nasal breathing vasoconstrictors, such as tizine, oxymetazoline, etc. It is worth remembering that nasal drops are addictive and using them for a long time is not recommended; moreover, it can cause hypertrophy or atrophy of the nasal membrane.

When the temperature rises, a pastel regime is necessary until the body temperature approaches normal. During this period, it is advisable for the child to balance his diet; he should rely on dairy and plant foods, rich in vitamins, and don’t forget about drinking - hot milk with Borjomi, vitamin tea, fruit juice or fruit will be very useful.

If the temperature exceeds 38.5 degrees, you can give paracetamol. Amidopyrine, antipyrine, and fanacetin should absolutely not be given to children, and aspirin and analgin can cause unwanted side effects. Worth paying a lot of attention therapeutic massage, as described, it perfectly helps the release of sputum from the body, especially if the child has chronic bronchitis. But still, it is better to entrust this to a specialized person rather than carry out this procedure yourself. And do not forget that treatment must certainly be comprehensive; individual treatment components are not as effective as all at once.

How to cure bronchitis in a child with folk remedies

You can often cure bronchitis in a child using folk remedies. After all, parents often trust more proven “grandmother’s” recipes with traditional medicines. Often, the pediatrician himself can prescribe folk remedies, especially if parents ask not to torture their baby with antibiotics and pills. In our case, the following tools will come to the rescue:

1. Garlic juice. One drop is diluted with big amount water and give it to the baby several times a day.
2. Some medicinal herbs. Marshmallow root, linden flowers, calendula, thermopsis herb and breast training. All this can always be found in any pharmacy.
3. Carrot juice. To do this, grate the carrots and squeeze out the juice through cheesecloth. Take 1-2 teaspoons several times a day.
4. Intestinal fat(looks like a grid). It should be diluted in milk and given to the child to drink, and it is also recommended that they rub the baby’s chest, after mixing it with turpentine.
5. Honey with aloe. 100-150 ml. Mix water with honey (about 300 g) and one leaf of grated aloe. Cook the mixture for 2 hours over low heat. Cool. Give the child 3 times a day 1 tablespoon.

What to do if your baby has a cough without a runny nose?

If a child has a cough without a runny nose, Komarovsky focuses his attention on the fact that most likely such a cough is caused by allergic nature. In this case, you need to pay attention to household chemicals, which is used at home, or perhaps a new flannelette blanket, toys (of completely different materials), flowers, and so on were purchased. After all, there is a high probability that such a cough is caused by some allergen and its elimination will help the child get rid of the disease.

Dry cough, runny nose, no fever.

A dry cough, runny nose without fever in a child is, unfortunately, a common symptom. And many experts argue that there is absolutely nothing good about this. In some cases, these symptoms are allergic reaction to some irritant, but sometimes it is a bacterial or infectious disease. In this case, going to the doctor is an urgent need. According to Komarosky, the cause of wet cough in children may be:

1. Chronic respiratory diseases;
2. tuberculosis;
3. Allergic reaction;
4. Gastrointestinal diseases.

Some of the reasons may seem simply terrifying to parents; Komarovsky recommends not to panic.

How to treat a child's cough without fever

Komarovsky advises sticking to the same methods of treatment as for a wet cough (use expectorants, monitor the characteristics of the air, its humidity and temperature, and do not forget to drink plenty of fluids).

Cough in a one-year-old child according to Komarovsky

This symptom often occurs when the mucous membrane is irritated, and copious discharge secret. This can be caused by:

• Allergens, often causing not only a cough, but also a runny nose;
• Incipient bronchial asthma;
• Inflammation in or sinuses;
• Inflammatory process in the upper or lower respiratory tract.
• The air in the baby's room is dry;
• Child stress;
• Hit foreign object into the respiratory tract.

What does Komarovsky suggest in this case? The first thing parents should take care of is the appropriate conditions for the child’s recovery. Namely, the air in the room should be sufficiently humid. To ensure this, you can not only use modern air humidifiers, but also resort to more available means, For example, wet wipes on batteries during the heating season or just a container of water by the baby’s crib. And spend more time with your baby in the fresh air, if the weather and the child’s condition are favorable.

Wet cough in the morning, treat it correctly

In some cases, a child may develop a wet cough in the morning. To get rid of wet cough in children, you need to look at the root of the problem, because there can be many reasons. For example, it can be a consequence of many diseases and is often provoked various infections. If the cough only bothers you in the morning after the baby wakes up, is not protracted and is few in number, there is really no reason to worry. In this case, the body is simply cleansed of excess mucus accumulation. However, this problem should be noted to the pediatrician during a routine examination.

Sometimes a cough in the morning is a consequence of reflux esophagitis. This condition always requires constant monitoring and control by a qualified specialist. Or if the child is prone to allergic diseases.

And deep, very wet and productive cough in a child can be extremely dangerous. It is often a symptom of a serious inflammatory process in the respiratory tract. And finally, this cough may be a symptom of such childhood disease like whooping cough. With this disease, the cough can occur at any time of the day, however, it intensifies in the morning.

Thus, if you notice that your baby is bothered by a cough, first of all, you need to find out its causes. After all, sometimes it is enough just to prevent the baby from coming into contact with an irritating allergen, and sometimes it is impossible to do without long-term observation by a specialist. In any case, do not neglect going to the doctor, qualified specialist helps you understand the nature of your symptoms and helps you speedy recovery your baby.

Let's start with the main and obvious. Cough is not treated, the disease that led to the cough is treated. There is something that irritates the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and leads to the formation of sputum. If we eliminate this “something”, the cough will stop. How can we eliminate it? For a bacterial infection, we will prescribe an antibiotic; for allergies, an antiallergic drug; viral infection We’ll just wait until the body copes with the virus itself.
What is so important and obvious about this? First of all, stating the fact that Tocough will not go away until the cause of the cough is eliminated . That is, if you or your child cough because the room is very dry, you will continue to cough either until you buy a humidifier, or until spring comes and the central heating turns off.
Obviously, we can destroy bacteria in bacterial infections, we can significantly reduce the body’s reaction to an allergen in allergic diseases, but we are not able to do anything with viruses. Thus, with ARVI, i.e. In 99% of all acute respiratory infections, we cannot eliminate the cause of the cough! We wait patiently for the body to form antiviral immunity, the virus will stop its harmful effects on the mucous membranes and cough will go away by myself.
At the same time, the cough significantly interferes with the existence of the sick child and the relatives around him. Therefore, simply “waiting patiently” does not work. Need to do something! And it really is necessary! After all, coughing during acute respiratory infections is not just a symptom that interferes with life, it is the main, key mechanism for actively clearing the respiratory tract. From here, in fact, it follows main principle symptomatic treatment cough - not to eliminate the cough, but to increase its effectiveness!
Key Feature effective cough - it does not happen often. Sputum accumulated, coughed, cleared the airways. We got a break until a new portion of sputum requires a new cough impulse. “Coughed, cleared” is a model of an ideal situation. But this does not always happen - sometimes, in order to clear it, you have to cough twenty times... What determines the answer to the question: “How many times is it necessary”? What factors determine the effectiveness of a cough?
Ability to cough- i.e. the strength of the cough impulse and the ability to cough consciously. It is clear that the older the child, the stronger respiratory muscles, the greater the volume of exhaled air, the stronger the cough impulse, the more effective cough. An obvious “disadvantage” of infants is that you can’t ask them to clear their throat, they are still unconscious...
Quality of sputum. Liquid sputum - easy to cough, effective cough; thick sputum - it is very difficult to cough up: we cough, cough, cough, but all to no avail...
We cannot influence the ability to cough in any way. That's why leading, strategic direction in symptomatic therapy cough is to influence the quality of sputum, improve its rheological properties and thus increase the effectiveness of cough.
Where does the effect on sputum rheology begin? From the main thing that we have already talked about many times, what we are forced to talk about again and again, to which we will constantly return - from compliance with the most important organizational principles of treatment of acute respiratory infections, which turn into the main rules for the symptomatic treatment of cough:
1.Cool humid air mode - prevention of drying out of sputum and mucous membranes.
2. Drink plenty of fluids - maintaining and restoring sputum rheology by ensuring normal blood rheology.
Name and discuss medications, affecting cough, is possible only after the two main rules we formulated are implemented. Dry, warm, refuses to drink - nothing will help. Therefore, before you run to the pharmacy for “cough medicine,” you need to clearly set priorities, understand what is primary (air and liquid) and what is secondary (potions, drops, syrups, tablets, etc.).

So, the child is dressed warmly, drinks a lot, and the room is cool and humid. This means that we have already implemented at least 90% of measures aimed at symptomatic treatment of cough. But 10% is still left! And I really want to help (treat) for real, give at least some pill!
Well, let's get on with it...
What can medications do?
influence the rheology of sputum: make it more liquid, less viscous; this is possible in two ways: firstly, the effect on the sputum that has already formed (liquefaction, softening), and, secondly, changing the properties of the sputum that continues to form - in the vast majority of cases, medications optimize the work epithelial cells, which, in fact, produce sputum. As a result, the amount of sputum increases, but this sputum is “correct” - not thick, it is easy to cough up;
reduce the intensity of the inflammatory process in the mucous membranes;
improve the functioning of the ciliated epithelium;
intensify contractile function bronchi;
reduce the excitability of the cough center in the brain;
reduce the sensitivity of nerve endings th, which are located in the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract - irritation of these endings, in fact, causes a cough.
The possibilities of drugs make it easy to come to the conclusion that there is two options:
1. clear cough , reducing the excitability of the cough center and the sensitivity of nerve endings;
2.improve cough , improving, in turn, the rheology of sputum, the functioning of the ciliated epithelium, and bronchial contractility.
The two options for action correspond to two groups of drugs, completely different in their mechanisms of action and meaning of use, but, unfortunately, perceived at the everyday level as one and the same thing.
The first group is “COUGH MEDICATIONS”, antitussives - the same drugs that cough clean up.
The second group - “EXPECTORANTS” - medicines, cough improving.
The very concept of “cough medicine” looks strange at first glance: so much has been said and discussed that cough is the most important way cleaning the respiratory tract, that not only a sick person, even a healthy person cannot do without coughing! They formulated it themselves main principle symptomatic treatment of cough: do not eliminate the cough, but increase its effectiveness! And how can you say the phrase “cough medicine” after this?! And what has to happen for these medications to be used?
Indeed, given our knowledge of the causes of cough, the use of “cough medicines” seems completely devoid of common sense. And this statement is absolutely true in the vast majority of cases!
But there are exceptions. That is, both theoretically and practically, situations are possible when a cough is not necessary, not useful, has no physiological purpose, does not contribute to recovery, but only interferes. There are very few such situations, but they still exist, so you can ask a very specific question: when does a cough need to be removed? when do you need cough medicine ?
the most obvious indication is whooping cough. Cough in this disease is associated with the condition nervous system, with irritation of the ciliated epithelium;
for inflammation outer shell lungs - pleura. Pleurisy, which is not accompanied by the release of fluid, the so-called. dry pleurisy, accompanied by a very frequent reflex cough;
at irritating cough. Irritating cough is not a defined or specific concept, in medical literature There is no consensus on what it is and under what conditions it occurs. The bottom line is that there is a certain factor that causes irritation of the nerve endings of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, which causes a cough, but no sputum is produced. This happens, for example, if you smoke some nasty stuff, or inhale some nasty stuff, or treat the floors with a particularly irritating varnish, or if normal healthy person spend the night in a room where it is dusty, hot and dry;
with some extremely dangerous pulmonary diseases usually oncological;
in preparation for the conduct and during surgical or otolaryngological procedures when you need to do something in the respiratory tract with instruments.
As can be seen from the list above, absolutely all conditions that allow the use of antitussive drugs are in no way related to parental self-medication. Even in situations related to acute respiratory infections - whooping cough, irritating cough - you can prescribe cough medicine only after first making sure that the lungs are clean and that there is nothing to cough up.
The use of cough medicines in a situation where there is mucus formation in the respiratory tract is extremely dangerous. These drugs, by reducing the strength of the cough impulse and making coughing less frequent, contribute to the accumulation of sputum in the respiratory tract, greatly increasing the risk of complications. That is why I emphasize once again: PThe use of antitussives as self-medication is strictly unacceptable!
All cough medicines are divided into two groups: narcotic and non-narcotic.
Narcotic drugs, as, however, obviously follows from the name, can be addictive and drug addiction. Most popular narcotic with a pronounced antitussive effect is codeine. In large doses that actually stop coughing, it is used only in hospitals and only for very severe illnesses. Well, in small doses codeine and drugs similar in structure, for example, dextromethorphan, are present in numerous combination drugs“for cough” and even those sold without a doctor’s prescription.

After re-reading list 19, the author even doubted: it turns out - look, here are the drugs for sale, buy... And then he thought and made a conclusion for himself that, firstly, for normal people it turns out just the opposite - drugs are sold, be careful, and secondly, drug addicts know better than all of us what is present and where...
Non-narcotic antitussive drugs do not cause dependence or addiction, but they are fully subject to calls regarding caution and the inadmissibility of self-medication.
We have already said that there are two ways to relieve a cough - by reducing the excitability of the cough center and reducing the sensitivity of the nerve endings in the respiratory tract.
Medicines that reduce the excitability of the cough center are called “non-narcotic antitussives.” central action" All drugs in this group, as well as narcotic antitussives, which also act on the cough center, are capable of suppressing not only the cough, but also respiratory center. That is why they (all these drugs) are extremely undesirable for children under two years of age, and in general the danger of their use is closely related to the age of the child - the older the child, the less the risk.

Drugs that reduce the sensitivity of nerve endings in the respiratory tract are called “non-narcotic peripherally acting antitussives.” Medicines in this group seem to anesthetize and relax overexcited nerve endings in the trachea and bronchi, they (these drugs) are much less active than centrally acting drugs, but, in turn, are much safer.

So, the conversation about who, when, how and with what should clear up a cough can be considered completed and summed up main results:
in the vast majority of cases, cough medicines are contraindicated for any type of acute respiratory infection;
the use of antitussives in children under two years of age is dangerous and irrational;
Cough medicines can be used in children over two years of age only if there are clear and specific indications, only as prescribed by a doctor and under constant medical supervision.
Last thing. The more sputum, it is quite obvious that the risk from the use of antitussives is higher. Improving cough, i.e. using expectorants, in most cases is equivalent to the concept of “increasing the amount of sputum.”
The most important and obvious conclusion:
the combination of antitussives and expectorants is unacceptable!!!

Having finally dotted all the i's in relation to cough medicines, we have the opportunity to focus our attention on improving cough, i.e. expectorants.
Let's start with a very characteristic and very revealing quote, taken from a very famous textbook on childhood diseases:
“EXPECTORANTS REDUCE THE VISCOSITY OF SMUT. EFFECTIVENESS AND BENEFITS COMPARED TO PLENTY OF DRINKING HAVE NOT BEEN PROVEN..."
With this quote, we do not at all want to say that there is nothing to discuss here, they say, we will give you something to drink and we will not give you medicine. This quote is just an excuse to once again repeat what was recently written: “... the child is dressed warmly, drinks a lot, the room is cool and damp. This means that we have already implemented at least 90% of measures aimed at symptomatic treatment of cough. But there’s still 10% left!”
So once again we draw your attention: these 10% without drink plenty of fluids and cool, humid air will not be effective.
Now to the point. A range of expectorants available in the pharmacy chain and actually used in childhood, is frighteningly huge - several hundred drugs in a wide variety of dosage forms. However, all this frightening variety can be classified in a certain way, in accordance with the mechanisms of the therapeutic effect of specific drugs.
Resorptive expectorants
Resorption - translated into Russian from medical terms is absorption. Resorptive drugs are absorbed from the stomach, after which they are secreted by the bronchial mucosa, increasing the amount of mucus and diluting it. Drugs in this group have been widely used and used by doctors for at least a couple of hundred years, but now interest in them is rapidly fading. What kind of medicines are these? Regular sodium bicarbonate ( baking soda), sodium and potassium iodide, ammonium chloride. The limited use at present is due not to the lack of effect, but to economic and psychological factors.
Iodine preparations were a popular component of numerous expectorant mixtures in the past, which were prepared directly in pharmacies. Today, the general trend is as follows: prescription departments are disappearing, pharmacy variety is growing, patients want to buy immediately and do not want to wait for the medicine to be prepared for them, again, fewer and fewer doctors want to remember and write prescriptions.
Tablets containing sodium bicarbonate and terpin hydrate (more on that below) cost a few kopecks. How can a mother, who wants to buy only the best for her child, buy medicine for a few kopecks, if there is something nearby, also for cough, but in beautiful packaging and for a few rubles?
Reflex expectorants
Drugs in this group irritate sensitive nerve endings in the stomach. This leads to reflex activation of the cough and vomiting center. The contractility of the bronchi increases, the cilia of the epithelium work more actively, sputum from lower sections bronchi moves faster in upper sections. At the same time, the functioning of the bronchial glands improves and more mucus is produced.
Expectorants of reflex action are the vast majority of preparations based on medicinal plants (thermopsis, licorice, marshmallow, plantain, thyme, coltsfoot, caraway, wild rosemary, etc.), as well as a number of simple chemical compounds (sodium benzoate, terpinhydrate).

The two groups of drugs described perfectly illustrate the main, strategic task of expectorants is to clear the airways of mucus . Coughing in this aspect is just a way of cleaning.
Thus, reflex and irritant expectorants can promote the above-mentioned cleansing in two ways.
Firstly, to stimulate expectoration, affecting the bronchi, cilia, glands - this effect even received a special name “ secretomotor activity».
Secondly, to thin the mucus - “ secretolytic activity».
At the same time, in addition to traditional expectorants, there are several drugs whose main advantage is their secretolytic activity. These drugs are called mucolytics(mucus in Latin mucus).
Mucolytics - active modern drugs, chemical compounds, having nothing to do with medicinal herbs, alternative and folk medicine.
Mucolytics have a special effect on the structural components of sputum, significantly changing it rheological properties- of course, in better side. There are very few drugs classified as mucolytics, more precisely, only five.

Mucolytic drugs are often prescribed by pediatricians. Mucolytic drugs are popular means of parental self-medication. No wonder that detailed information regarding their application may be both useful and interesting for most readers of this book.
Mucolytics are mainly used for oral administration, but ambroxol and acetylcysteine ​​are used for inhalation and can even be administered intramuscularly and intravenously.
Mucolytics - active pharmacological agents with a lot of positive effects, but there are also side effects, in particular the impact on gastrointestinal tract and quite likely allergic reactions.
Mucolytics have a number of advantages, in addition to the main mucolytic effect. Here it is difficult to talk about “advantages in general” - each means has its own, sometimes specific, but it is these individual additional capabilities that are the criterion by which the doctor determines which of these means to choose. Thus, acetylcysteine ​​can dilute not only sputum, but also pus; it is very active in local application for otitis, rhinitis, sinusitis; ambroxol and carbocisteine ​​significantly affect the circulation of antibiotics, increasing their concentration in lung tissue and thus increasing the effectiveness of treatment bacterial infections respiratory tract; ambroxol stimulates the synthesis of surfactant - a special substance that ensures the elasticity of the lungs; Guaifenesin, in addition to mucolytic, has an active secretomotor effect, etc.
Indications for use, the choice of a specific drug, duration of use, dose - all this is very individual, determined by the diagnosis, the severity of the disease, the age of the patient and, most importantly, determined by the doctor.
Mucolytics are indicated and advisable precisely when there is thick, viscous sputum. For wet coughs and mild forms of ARVI affecting the upper respiratory tract, mucolytics are not needed in most cases; moreover, their administration may provoke an increase in cough.
Not a single mucolytic drug can exhibit its therapeutic effect, that is, it cannot improve the rheology of sputum in a situation where the rheology of the blood is not improved.
The effectiveness of mucolytic agents is short-term and insignificant if the factors that provoke drying of mucus and mucous membranes are not eliminated, if optimal parameters of temperature and air humidity are not ensured.

Because the medicinal activity mucolytics are significantly superior to all other expectorants, pharmacologists very often consider this group of drugs separately, as if excluding them from general list expectorants. There is a certain meaning here, therefore, recognizing the logic and validity of this state of affairs, you should pay attention to two points. First, note that there is very a large number of medications that are combinations of expectorants and mucolytics; secondly, emphasize once again that If the combination of antitussives and expectorants is unacceptable, then the combination of antitussives and mucolytics is doubly unacceptable!

Short review medicines, intended to relieve cough in acute respiratory infections, can be considered exhausted. No, the list of drugs, to put it mildly, is not complete - after all, there are many drugs that eliminate bronchospasm, have an anti-inflammatory effect, reduce the sensitivity of the respiratory tract, etc. However, we will not even name these drugs, since their use is not has a mass distribution in acute respiratory infections and never, according to at least theoretically, it is not carried out as self-medication.
Our task is to summarize, to formulate an algorithm for parental actions in a situation where a child is diagnosed with a cough.
Most important question: who is guilty? - i.e. the cause of the disease. The answer algorithm is already well known to us; this is the key to further treatment illness that caused the cough.
The answer to the following question determines the intensity and direction of treatment: where is the source of the cough?
A typical and extremely common situation is posterior rhinitis or adenoiditis . IN posterior regions mucus forms in the nose, it flows down the back of the throat and this causes a cough. In such a situation, ordinary nose drops vasoconstrictor drops will cause the cough to stop. And what will happen if you do it our way, that is, be an “attentive parent” and actively treat - give a herbal secretomotor drug plus add a mucolytic? Most amateurs active treatment the answer to the question “what will happen?” they know well - it will be a sleepless night with a painful cough...
Nasopharyngitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis - inflammation in the upper respiratory tract. Mucus forms in the pharynx, on the surface of the tonsils, and in the larynx. This mucus provokes a cough. But it is easy to cough up this mucus, it is actually already in the mouth, it does not need to move upward from the bronchi, it does not need to be pushed by the cilia of the epithelium and contractions of the bronchi. “It’s easy to cough up” - this is not always the case, but to make it difficult, you have to try. You need to make sure that the sputum dries to the surface of the mucous membranes, for this you should drink less and turn on the heater - you are guaranteed a sleepless night with an irritating “throat” cough.
How to act correctly? First, understand that with inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, no expectorants taken orally can alleviate the situation. All you have to do is prevent the mucus from thickening. To do this, humidify and ventilate the room, constantly drink something warm, dissolve tablets (lozenges, lozenges, etc.) containing herbal ingredients in the mouth, essential oils, menthol, drop into the nose oil drops so that the back of the throat does not dry out. You can come up with a lot of things that are completely safe - so that the mucus does not dry out, and there is no harm: spray aerosols containing oils into your mouth, gargle with soda, etc.
But what to do if the child is very small - he doesn’t know how to suck lollipops, doesn’t know how to rinse, doesn’t know how to spit, aerosols with oils are contraindicated for him according to the instructions for these aerosols?.. First of all, don’t forget that all this spitting-sucking-rinsing - this is only 10% of the treatment, and 90% is air and drink, and if you add salt drops in the nose to this, this will completely replace rinsing.
Signs of croup (barking cough, difficulty breathing), cough with shortness of breath and wheezing - all these are situations when self-medication of cough is unacceptable: unreasonable and (or) improper use of antitussives and expectorants for croup and inflammation of the lower respiratory tract can lead to a significant deterioration of the condition child.
Don’t take risks, because not giving medicine does not mean doing nothing! You will already have something to do while waiting for the doctor - moisturize, ventilate, wipe, brew, drink, drip, change clothes, calm, rock, talk...
RESULTS
Since cough is one of the most common symptoms, there is great amount drugs to influence it. Absolute most of these drugs are of unproven effectiveness, since the nature of the cough is determined to a much greater extent by the conditions in which the sick child is located than by all the medications combined.
The main, strategic goal of symptomatic treatment of cough with medications is the fact of treatment itself. Medicines do not so much relieve a child’s cough as provide psychological comfort his relatives. Peace of mind adults caring for a child is an extremely important factor, and hundreds of pharmacological companies are working to maintain this balance, producing thousands of a wide variety of “cough medicines” - most of them are absolutely safe, highly purified, with a minimum side effects, With low risk overdose, with beautiful taste qualities, in the most attractive packaging and in a wide variety of forms - tablets, lozenges, drops, solutions, mixtures, syrups, elixirs.
Once again, I emphasize two particularly important points: all of these medications are quite safe, but all of these are medications with unproven effectiveness.
The paradox of self-medication of cough is that:
in case of acute respiratory infections affecting the lower respiratory tract, treatment of cough with medications is difficult and risky;
in case of acute respiratory infections affecting the upper respiratory tract, treatment of cough with medications is effective only as a method of psychotherapy for the person treating.
Eliminating the cause of cough and creating conditions that ensure the effectiveness of cough is key points help. Effective pharmacological effects possible, since there are active drugs that can affect the main physiological mechanisms cough. The use of these drugs requires specific indications, professionalism and restraint. Therefore, it is very important to distribute roles in a timely manner: the doctor to look for and eliminate the cause of the cough, to determine those conditions when medications cannot be avoided; parents - to create conditions under which it will be easy for the body to fight, and medicines will be able to medicinal effects manifest.
All this will serve as an ideological basis for implementing the main principles of symptomatic therapy in general and cough in particular - safety, sufficiency, expediency.

Television programs dedicated to children's health, not so little, and many parents enjoy watching useful programs with the participation of famous pediatricians. Dr. Komarovsky has long become everyone’s favorite, speaking clearly and simply about the most common children’s health problems. Quite often, parents are shocked by a child’s cough without fever; Komarovsky has a lot of informative and useful things to say about this.

Snot and cough without fever in a child

Most often, a child experiences snot and cough without fever after a walk, even if it is warm outside. This is explained simply - dust collects in the nose, which provokes a slight cough.

Usually at home this all goes away quickly, and without additional measures accepted by parents. If alarming symptom does not disappear even after a few hours, there is a risk of catching a cold.

It often happens that after a walk in windy weather, severe runny nose and dry deep cough the child has no fever, Komarovsky is sure that these are harbingers infectious diseases. If you do not respond to it in a timely manner danger signs, may develop:

1. nasopharyngitis;
2. tracheitis.

You should not wait until the alarming symptoms disappear on their own, this will not happen. It is also not recommended to start treatment without identifying the disease - a visit to the doctor should be mandatory. Sometimes simple ones are enough folk remedies or short treatment at home with medications so that the first symptoms of the disease completely disappear.

Barking cough in a child without fever - what is it?

You can observe a barking cough in a child without fever quite often, and Komarovsky does not advise premature panic. Usually attacks occur at night and pass by morning. Doctors find it difficult to give an exact explanation for the phenomenon, but the parents' favorite claims that it is simply the baby freeing the bronchi and lungs from dust microparticles accumulated during the day.

What to do in such cases? Children's doctor He is categorical in his recommendations - medications are completely excluded here. Fresh, cool air (walking during the day, ventilating the room in the evening) will help you quickly forget about your cough.

If you have a nebulizer, you can inhale several times a day using alkaline mineral water. In the absence of this useful device, you can simply drink the liquid in small portions throughout the day.

Komarovsky suggests treating a barking, prolonged cough in a child without fever with plenty of fluids. It doesn’t matter what exactly it will be, the main thing is to drink at least one and a half liters of drink per day. Perfect for these purposes:

1. compote (with minimum quantity Sahara);
2. tea (preferably green);
3. juice (you can even store-bought);
4. liquid jelly;
5. fruit drink

The main rule is that drinks should be at room temperature; cold liquid can only intensify attacks.

A child has a wet cough without fever - what to do?

A well-known doctor claims that such a symptom cannot be ignored - a wet cough without fever stimulates the removal of phlegm accumulated in the bronchi. The manifestation itself is not very dangerous, but it can cause severe irritation and lead to serious consequences.

Additional symptoms that should alert you:

1. attacks occur in the evening hours, worsening at night;
2. wheezing is clearly audible between sighs;
3. greenish discharge with blood clots is possible.

In such cases, Komarovsky does not recommend the use of cough suppressants. More useful here will be drugs that stimulate expectoration (, Bromhexyl). The instructions for the drugs detail the dosage and method of use; exceeding the specified standards or giving the baby syrup more often than indicated by the manufacturers is strictly not recommended.

A mandatory stage of treatment is long walks around the fresh air. In the cold season, you should dress warmly, but not allow the body to overheat - the child should be comfortable.

Wet cough in a child without fever, how to treat it

The absence of fever or fever with a strong wet cough is not uncommon with colds. Another reason that a child develops a wet cough without fever is an allergic reaction of the small organism to medicinal, mechanical or plant irritants.

Treatment should be carried out only after medical examination And accurate diagnosis. If the cause of cough is not allergic irritants, mucolytics or expectorants are usually used. pharmaceutical drugs. From medications syrups or Bromhexine.

Proven folk remedies will also help you get rid of a wet, suffocating cough. Komarovsky advises using decoctions from such plants:

1. coltsfoot (flowers);
2. plantain (root);
3. linden (flowers);
4. marshmallow (root).

You can prepare a decoction from either plant component, so use it herbal collection from several herbs. For 230 ml of boiling water – 25-30 g. vegetable raw materials (pre-crushed). Prepare the medicine like a simple tea - steam it with boiling water and let it brew. Give the child the product little by little (about 50 ml) throughout the day, always warm.

Prolonged cough in a child without fever

Parents are often frightened by a child’s prolonged cough without fever, especially if there are no other signs of a cold. First of all, you need to check whether the air in the home is dry, whether there is a persistent smell in the room after renovation, and whether the baby has come into contact with irritating substances. Sometimes it is enough to completely eliminate the detected problem so that the alarming symptom quickly stops.

If even after elimination the cough does not stop, Komarovsky does not recommend starting medical treatment; first you need to find out the cause of the symptom. There is a good chance that the reason prolonged cough are helminths, and without necessary research it will not be possible to detect them.

Accurate diagnosis will help determine treatment, so you should not delay your visit to the doctor. If the disease is associated with respiratory tract, will help medications(phyto- or synthetic products). They can only be used for dry coughs; in other cases, expectorants will be needed.

Cough at night in a child without fever - what is the cause of such manifestations?

Reasons for night severe cough in the absence of temperature, as Komarovsky claims, there can be quite a lot, and each case requires special approach. Seizures often occur due to colds, it is at night that sputum accumulates in the bronchi.

A cough at night in a child without fever can also be triggered by allergens (pollen, indoor dust, pet hair). Another reason for the unpleasant alarming manifestation– reaction to drug treatment (some drugs during the recovery period can cause a night cough).

It is almost impossible to independently determine the main causes of night cough, especially if there are no other symptoms; this will require a visit to a doctor. The only thing you can do is give your child more to drink during the night - this will help make the attacks less frequent. Don't delay your visit medical institution– You should go to the reception in the morning.