Baby's stuffy nose and fever

The nasal cavity is the main channel for babies to breathe. It can maintain normal air inhalation and exhalation and maintain the health of the body. Many people often experience acute edema after a cold, causing nasal congestion and runny nose, and sneezing occurs frequently. Babies may also have a fever when they have a stuffy nose. Many parents dare not pick their children's noses casually, but how to deal with it after a stuffy nose?

Why does the baby have a stuffy nose?

The nasal cavity is the main channel for babies to breathe. It can moisten and filter the inhaled air and maintain body health. Young children's respiratory passages, such as nostrils and nasal cavities, are relatively narrow, so changes in temperature often cause nasal blood vessels to dilate and become blocked, or they may be blocked due to excessive inflammatory secretions and swollen mucosa.

What are the common causes of nasal congestion?

The most common cause is a cold. After a cold, the nasal mucosa undergoes acute edema, causing nasal congestion. It is usually accompanied by nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing, and sometimes accompanied by fever or cough of varying severity. Nasal inflammation is also an important cause of nasal congestion, including rhinitis, sinusitis, etc. It can be infectious inflammation caused by bacterial or viral infection or allergic inflammation caused by airway allergy, both of which can lead to swelling of the mucosa or be accompanied by increased nasal secretions. Rare causes include inflammation leading to nasal polyp proliferation, congenital developmental abnormalities of the nasal septum deviation, inflammation of the surrounding tissues such as adenoids blocking the posterior nasal cavity, etc. There are also cases where babies accidentally put melon seeds, nuts or even paper balls into their nasal cavity while playing, causing blockage.

How to deal with baby’s stuffy nose?

Once you find that your baby has a stuffy nose, first determine whether the child is in good condition. If the child has a fever (especially a high fever) or difficulty breathing, seek medical attention immediately and provide further treatment after determining the cause. If the child is in generally good condition, has no other systemic symptoms, and only has a blocked nose, you can try the following measures: 1. Apply a hot towel to the root of the nose to promote blood circulation and reduce nasal congestion; 2. Increase indoor humidity during dry seasons; 3. Proper exercise can reduce nasal airway resistance and relieve nasal congestion; 4. Rinse the nasal cavity with saline solution or use a cotton swab or suction to remove nasal secretions or nasal crusts.

If the blockage is severe or the above measures are ineffective, ephedrine drops can be given to the nose to constrict the blood vessels, but excessive dosage may have side effects. For cold symptoms such as runny nose and sneezing, cold medicines such as Aichang can be taken. Babies should especially avoid using nasal drops to avoid drug-induced rhinitis.

Drug treatment is mainly for bacterial infection or allergic inflammation, usually requiring the use of antibiotics or anti-allergic drugs, and a certain course of treatment is required. Allergic inflammation often recurs and cannot be cured for a long time. First of all, we need to identify possible allergens and avoid contact and inhalation in daily life. Antiallergic drugs (antihistamines) can inhibit allergic reactions, reduce secretions and high reactivity. Ketotifen, cetirizine and leuproretin are commonly used. Chlorpheniramine and other drugs have strong central effects and cause more obvious dry mouth. It is recommended to use them less or only at night.

Inhaled corticosteroids (nasal aerosol) can inhibit mucosal inflammation, promote the absorption of existing inflammation and prevent future attacks, and can be used long-term. Leukotriene antagonists such as Singulair also have anti-inflammatory effects and can be used alone or in combination with inhaled hormones.

Of course, the important way to prevent your baby from having a stuffy nose is to insist on breastfeeding, get more sun exposure, exercise appropriately, and live a regular life to strengthen your baby's physical fitness.