Is cortisone in aerosol, an extremely popular medical treatment, really good for children with coughs and colds?
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousIs cortisone in aerosol, an extremely popular medical treatment, really good for children with coughs and colds? No, according to experts
Many pediatricians prescribe it at the first hints of cough and cold in children. Often, however, it is the parents of the little ones who opt for this treatment, considered the only way to combat the ailments of winter. For all, in any case, it is a torture to which we have subjected ourselves very reluctantly. We are talking about the cortisone administered via aerosol - panacea for all the ills of this season. But are its effects really so positive as to justify its massive use? No, according to modern medicine. Let's try to do some clarity.
Why it is better not to use cortisone
In reality, according to the Cultural Association of Pediatricians, the administration of cortisol via aerosol is the most wrong thing to do to counteract colds or coughs in children. The document drawn up by the association reads:
Coughing is the most common symptom in children entering the primary care pediatrician's office. The use of aerosol cortisone is widespread in our country for the treatment of upper respiratory tract diseases and for the control of the related cough symptom, although there is no evidence of its effectiveness. This practice, if prolonged over time, is associated with side effects.
To ascertain the much-vaunted efficacy of cortisone in aerosol, the Mario Negri Institute of Pharmacological Research in Milan conducted a study a few years ago on 520 children (aged between 1 and 5 years) suffering from upper respiratory tract infections. . The young were divided into groups: the first were subjected to aerosol with cortisone, the second to aerosol containing simple physiological solution. There was no difference in the manifestation of the disease and symptoms, regardless of the treatment the children were subjected to - this greatly diminishes the effectiveness of the cortisone that so many doctors insist on giving their young patients.
(Read also: Does your child have a cold? From Vitamin C to nose washes, what (not) to do according to pediatricians)
Alternative solutions to aerosol
If the child has a cold and cannot breathe, it is better to clear the nose by washing with physiological solution or using mucus suction pumps: in this way the mucus will be eliminated faster and the child will heal faster. At the same time, it is also important to keep the baby hydrated, making him drink water at room temperature often or giving him fruit and vegetables frequently, perhaps in the form of purees or soups. Finally, hand hygiene must be taken care of, through constant washing with soap and water. A separate note should be made on the handkerchiefs used to blow the nose: it is better to use paper ones, which must be thrown away after use to avoid the proliferation of bacteria.
If the child has a cough, however, we can make him drink hot herbal teas (chamomile is fine too) sweetened with honey - with a strong antibacterial and disinfectant power. To prevent him from suffocating with his own muchi, let's avoid placing him lying down in a completely horizontal position - better raise his head with a couple of pillows to allow him to rest peacefully.
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Sources: Altroconsumo / Paediatricians Cultural Association
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