What is cough really? And when to worry about our little ones? The guide of the Infant Jesus of Rome
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousHow to recognize a cough? When is it a symptom of a certain disease? And how to cure it in children?
Irritating, which at times makes it impossible to sleep, or chronic, which never seems to go away. Coughing in children can throw parents into real despair, if only for the sense of helplessness that arises. Sometimes, in fact, it is good to wait for it to pass by itself. This is why it is useful know the different types of cough, but also any pathologies connected to it. In all cases, what are the most effective therapies?
Attempting to answer are the experts of the Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital who, in the new issue of the digital magazine "A Scuola di Salute", created by the Bambino Gesù Institute for Child and Adolescent Health, have developed a precious guide to recognize the different types of cough.
Before resorting to antibiotics as many do, in short, it is good to know what we are talking about and how to best treat our puppies.
Index
What is cough
What must reassure most is that cough is absolutely not a disease, but a protective reflex aimed at clearing the airways secretions or unintentionally inhaled material.
Could be acute o chronic. Acute cough resolves within three weeks and is caused by continued exposure to microbes, particularly in children between the ages of 2 and 4. Acute coughing episodes are largely related to the onset of diseases such as laryngitis e whooping cough.
La chronic cough instead it lasts more than eight weeks and its main causes may be thebronchial asthma or the somatic cough. It goes without saying that cough therapy varies according to the cause that caused it.
The remedies to stop the cough and when to go to the pediatrician
“On the market - explain the Child Jesus - there is a great variety of tools and remedies to treat or prevent cough, but there are very few useful and effective interventions. Antibiotics, for example, are only useful if the doctor suspects a bacterial infection. The cough reflex is actually generated by a discharge of mucus from the nose into the throat, caused by the cold. Removing the mucus through nasal washes is therefore the most effective method ".
And not only that: with gods few natural ingredients such as honey, garlic, thyme or rose hips, we can easily prepare cough syrups at home, even if we can now find really effective natural syrups at the pharmacy counter.
Read also: How to do nasal washes for babies and children (VIDEO)
What needs to be done, however, is to give the children the syrups when needed, when the cough becomes more annoying and insistent, and give them a calming infusion in the evening, in order to rest well despite the cough. If the symptoms are extremely troublesome, one can resort to natural cough remedies, but remember to introduce them to your pediatrician first.
In any case, generally, if the coughing episodes do not disturb the child's daily life and disappear after 3 or 4 days, the cough is to be considered completely benign and it is not necessary to go to the pediatrician. On the contrary, go there if the cough persists for several days and if a fever appears.
The 4 diseases that have cough as a symptom
La whooping cough it is a contagious bacterial disease, manifested by a series of close coughs until it leaves you breathless. In infants, its characteristic signs area and cyanosis. "There are no specific therapies other than antibiotics - explain the doctors of the Child Jesus - which if started early will be more likely to shorten the symptoms of the disease".
La laryngitis is a respiratory disease caused by viral infections and one of the typical symptoms of this disease is the cough that sounds like a seal sound or that of a barking dog. The first drug to choose is the steroid, prescribed by the doctor, administered orally or respiratory.
Bronchial asthma may present with a cough or wheezing or shortness of breath, up to the most serious manifestation which is the bronchospasm. It is a contraction mechanism of the bronchial walls that may also require treatment in the emergency room or, in severe cases, in specialized centers. When chronic cough is caused by bronchial asthma, doctors typically recommend aerosol therapy.
La somatic cough, or psychogenic, is the second cause of chronic cough after bronchial asthma, has no organic origins and occurs in children from the age of 6. Among its characteristics we find a long duration, the "angry" character, almost as if it were a tic, or "barking", with a characteristic sound that often resembles that of a horn. In particularly resistant cases, it may be necessary to have recourse to a psychologist or child psychiatrist.
Read also
- Aerosol: because for experts it is not useful against colds
- Phlegm: natural remedies to thin it that really work
- Dry cough: causes, symptoms, and remedies that actually work
- Oily or dry cough: differences and natural remedies
Germana Carillo
