Why does my baby have a severe cough?

I believe that mothers will find this phenomenon when taking care of their children. Every time the child coughs, the symptoms will be different: sometimes it is a dry cough, sometimes with phlegm; sometimes it is an occasional cough; sometimes it is a paroxysmal cough; sometimes it is severe during the day, sometimes it is obvious at night, and sometimes there is even a sudden severe cough at midnight. So, what is the cause? How can we prevent it? Let me tell you below.

Cough is an extremely common disease phenomenon, especially in winter. It is a response of the throat, trachea and bronchial mucosa to stimulation. In most cases, coughing is the body's self-protection method to relieve pain.

Faced with their children's coughing fits, many parents feel helpless. Let us have a comprehensive understanding of baby cough through the analysis of several small cases below.

Reason 1: Habitual coughing to relieve throat discomfort

The mother brought her 7-year-old daughter to the hospital because her child's cough had not improved for two weeks. I have taken a lot of medicines to treat cough, but the effect is not obvious.

Examination and diagnosis

After asking the child, we learned that coughing was an initiative of the child himself. I always feel like something is stuck in my throat, and coughing a few times can relieve this discomfort. After examination, it was found that except for some redness and swelling in the child's throat, no other abnormalities were found. Finally, the child was diagnosed with pharyngitis.

Treatment and care

Taking cough medicine is often not as effective as taking lozenges to soothe the throat or reduce inflammation. Sometimes, although the cough caused by this pharyngitis is not accompanied by other symptoms, it lasts for a long time, so it is very important to adhere to treatment.

Cause 2: Purulent tonsillitis

Two days ago, the 3-year-old Dongdong developed a fever, and recently he has had a sore throat and bouts of coughing. Not only that, his appetite also decreased. Apart from milk, porridge and water, he basically does not accept any other food. My parents were very worried because of my loss of appetite. I came here specifically to consult a doctor and seek a solution.

Examination and diagnosis

When the doctor uses a tongue depressor to examine the throat, the child vomits as soon as the tongue is touched. This indicates that the child's larynx is very sensitive. The red and swollen throat can be seen through the light, like two lumps of flesh moving from both sides to the center, and the surface of the lumps of flesh are covered with white attachments. This is a typical case of suppurative tonsillitis.

Treatment and care

Low temperature is conducive to local analgesia, and liquid food is easy to swallow. Providing children with slightly cooler liquid food can increase their food intake. Swollen tonsils and their exudates can also irritate the throat and cause coughing. This type of cough is involuntary, shallow, and has no time limit. The way to treat this type of cough is to take appropriate cough suppressants on the basis of effective anti-inflammatory measures.

Reason 3: Lower respiratory tract infection

A 10-month-old baby started coughing 3 days after having a fever, and the condition gradually worsened. Parents reported that bouts of coughing could last for several minutes or even longer. Vomiting often occurs during severe coughing. In addition to semi-digested milk, the vomit also contains a lot of mucus. After each vomiting, the child will be quiet for a while.

The child's parents particularly hope that the doctor will give a quick cough suppressant to relieve the child's pain.

Examination and diagnosis

It was found that in addition to some congestion in the pharynx, the breath sounds in the lungs were very noisy, indicating that there was some sputum in the lungs, which was a manifestation of lower respiratory tract infection.

Treatment and care

At this time, it is very important to take expectorant medicine in time. Oral medication is simple and easy, but it takes a long time for the drug to take effect and is not conducive to rapid expectoration. If conditions permit, the use of inhaled expectorants can quickly improve the patient's condition. The most commonly used inhaled medication is injectable Mucosolvan. Since inhaled drugs are odorless and tasteless, they are easier for children to accept.

The editor tells mothers that when it comes to baby’s cough, giving medicine to babies who are too young is not good for their physical development and may even cause harm to their bodies. Therefore, when the baby coughs, mothers need to pay attention to the baby's physical changes at all times. It is not necessary to use medication as soon as a cough occurs. For long-term coughs that do not improve, some light food supplements can be used to regulate the body and go to the hospital for examination.