How to treat bronchitis with phlegm in children

We know that acute bronchitis is actually a very common disease. Once a child has the disease, he often feels uncomfortable. When making a diagnosis, you actually need to carefully rely on the medical history to make a further judgment. It is even easier to judge based on the patient's clinical manifestations. How to treat bronchitis with phlegm in children?

X-ray examination showed no abnormalities or only darkening of lung markings. In patients with viral infection, the white blood cell count does not increase, and the lymphocyte count increases relatively slightly. In bacterial infection, the total white blood cell count and the proportion of neutrophils both increase. Sputum smear or sputum culture, serological tests, etc. can sometimes detect the pathogenic pathogen.

Acute infectious diseases such as pulmonary tuberculosis, lung abscess, mycoplasma pneumonia, measles, whooping cough, acute tonsillitis, as well as postnasal drip syndrome, cough variant asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease, interstitial lung disease, acute pulmonary embolism and lung cancer often cause cough at the onset, which is similar to the cough symptoms of acute bronchitis. Therefore, in-depth examination and detailed clinical differentiation are required.

The symptoms of influenza are quite similar to those of acute bronchitis, but it is not difficult to differentiate them from each other due to its widespread prevalence, sudden onset, obvious systemic poisoning symptoms, high fever and muscle aches all over the body. Virus isolation and complement fixation tests can confirm the diagnosis.

1Patients with acute bronchitis

There is no obvious therapeutic effect of antibacterial drugs, and the abuse of antibacterial drugs should be avoided when treating patients with acute bronchitis. However, if the patient has fever, purulent sputum and severe cough, it is an indication for the use of antibacterial drugs. Patients with acute bronchitis should be treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics against Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae, such as erythromycin, can be used. Clarithromycin or azithromycin can also be used. During influenza epidemics, anti-influenza treatment measures should be applied if there are symptoms of acute bronchitis.

(2) Expectorant and antitussive drugs: In addition to anti-infection treatment, patients in the acute stage should be given expectorants and antitussive drugs to improve symptoms. Commonly used drugs include ammonium chloride mixture, bromhexine, ambroxol, carboxymethylcysteine ​​and strong diluent. Chinese patent medicine also has a certain effect in relieving cough. For the elderly who are weak and unable to cough up sputum or those with a large amount of sputum, they should be assisted in expectoration to clear the respiratory tract. The use of cough suppressants should be avoided to prevent central nervous system depression, aggravation of airway obstruction and complications.

(3) Antispasmodics and antiasthmatic drugs are usually taken orally, such as aminophylline and terbutaline, or inhaled short-acting bronchodilators such as salbutamol. If airflow limitation persists, pulmonary function testing is done. If the diagnosis of COPD is confirmed, long-acting inhaled bronchodilators, or glucocorticoids plus long-acting inhaled bronchodilators should be used if necessary.

(4) Nebulizer therapy: Nebulizer inhalation can dilute secretions in the trachea and facilitate expectoration. If the sputum is thick and difficult to cough up, nebulization inhalation may be of some help.

Warm reminder: Active treatment is needed. Moreover, if the patient already has systemic symptoms, then he should not smoke or drink. In addition, for the sake of physical health, patients need to pay further attention to rest and keep warm, and expectorants should be used when there is a lot of sputum.