Cough with sputum

Literally the first symptoms of almost any cold is cough. When it appears, the child should be wary, especially if it lasts a long time and does not leave the sputum. Parents should be extremely attentive to this symptom and immediately consult a doctor.

Why baby cough: find out the reasons

Coughing is a sharp, resounding exhalation that forms as a cleansing measure for the airways. In order not to get into them, the body tries to get rid of it by launching a complex reflex, the result of which is a cough.

The main task, both of parents and doctors, is to understand what is the cause of cough in a child. Often this is the accumulation of sputum in the respiratory tract, swelling of the mucous membrane, etc. You can guess the cause of coughing not only by the combination of other symptoms, but even by sound characteristics.

It can be different: they usually produce a dry cough or a wet cough.

A child has a cough with sputum: what to do?

Cough with sputum, it’s wet, it’s productive. With him, the child coughs loudly, and you can even hear wheezing and gurgling. Typically, the sonority increases and almost simultaneously sputum production occurs.

In order to suspect any disease, it is necessary to take into account the time and frequency of occurrence of cough and many others. specifications. If the child coughs exclusively in the mornings and after coughing it stops until the next morning, then, most likely, this is just a coughing up mucus. Mucus does not accumulate deeply, most often in the throat or nasopharynx, it is the cause of the appearance of this symptom.

But this is not a reason to leave such a cough without attention. It is imperative to consult with the doctor, namely the ENT doctor, who will carefully examine the child's nasopharynx. If, after examining the baby, the doctor does not notice the pathology and even the accumulation of mucus, but at the same time there is a redness of the posterior pharyngeal wall, then it is necessary to visit a gastroenterologist.

Many will ask how cough and stomach are related? The answer is simple, a gastroenterologist deals with diseases not only of the stomach, but also of the esophagus. He will first examine the throat. Mucus can accumulate in it and move both from top to bottom and bottom to top. In addition, do not forget about reflux, when the contents of the stomach can be thrown into the esophagus, irritating the delicate throat mucosa, and forming a reflex cough. Reflux is a common cause of cough in a child.

If the baby has a wet cough, this first of all indicates that a lot of sputum has accumulated in the bronchi and the body is trying to get rid of it. This indicates inflammation, especially if there is a fever.

In any case, a blood test is necessary, which will show not only the presence of inflammation, but also its nature, the cause — the virus or the microbial process.

In addition to laboratory tests, listening to the lungs is necessary to exclude or confirm pneumonia. In case of exclusion of this diagnosis, it is necessary to consult an ENT who will test a patient for such diseases as sinusitis, sinusitis, etc.

With the appearance of choking cough, which causes vomiting, and even wearing a long-term nature, it is necessary to exclude such an infectious disease as whooping cough.

Treatment methods

Excretion of the lungs from sputum in babies is much more difficult than in adults. This can be explained by the fact that it is more viscous, and the respiratory muscles, by means of which mucus is ejected, are not sufficiently developed.

• Long stay of sputum in the bronchi is highly undesirable, because stagnant mucus becomes a hotbed of reproduction of microorganisms, it is this fact that can delay recovery. Accordingly, the main task of treating cough in children is to facilitate sputum discharge.
• When drug therapy using special drugs for cough with sputum, contributing to its dilution. Expectorant drugs are presented in the form of 2 groups - vegetable and synthetic. Herbal-based herbal preparations should be used extremely carefully, because there is always a risk of an allergic reaction. It is believed that synthetic drugs most effectively help reduce the viscosity of thick sputum.
• The use of antitussives for the treatment of wet cough is contraindicated, the relief of a symptom only exacerbates the course of the disease. These drugs contribute to the sedimentation of sputum. Treatment of cough should stop at the moment when the child can cough up on his own, thereby providing the body to cope on its own.

• One of the most effective means of moist cough for babies over 3 years old is steam inhalation with the use of herbs, essential oils and iodine.
• It is worth remembering about the conditions that must be created for a coughing child. Firstly, the room in which the baby resides should be warm and constantly aired. It is necessary to abandon some things, because carpets, large soft toys, etc. They can be an additional annoying factor. It is not necessary to keep in the room with a coughing baby and strongly smelling objects, such as air fresheners, perfumes, incense, paint, various aerosols.
• With sufficient moisture, sputum discharge is facilitated. When dry air mucus thickens, and, consequently, worse comes out. As mentioned above - sputum is an excellent breeding ground for the development of microorganisms - which only worsens the condition of the child.
• The baby must follow a certain diet and drink. Drinking plenty of fluids helps reduce sputum viscosity. It is recommended to give the child any non-carbonated drinks, fruit drinks, fruit drinks, decoctions, etc.
• A special conversation deserve walks when coughing. The most important mistake of many parents is wrong walking with a coughing child. Bringing the baby on the street, where the air is by definition more humid, you can provoke an attack. Upon returning home, he passes. Taking the walk as a catalyst for the symptom, the child is locked up for a long time at home. Which is essentially wrong.
• Having received a fresh portion of moist air, the baby begins to cough, i.e. the main condition is fulfilled - the purification of the bronchi. When coughing, you need to walk, if the patient's condition and weather conditions allow.
• In addition, you should not force the child to lie constantly in bed, if his body requires movement, it means that he is recovering. And in the presence of physical activity, the lungs are better cleaned.

Cough with sputum discharge is also called productive, i.e. the baby is getting better. The main task of parents to help in this, to create all conditions for easier discharge of mucus. The cough should be treated by a doctor who can correctly assess the situation and prescribe a course of therapy to prevent complications.