Properly handle when a child coughs from the sky

Many parents worry when young children cough every time, but not every cough is harmful and use cough medicine for children need special attention.

In the humid days due to the sky in Hanoi, the number of patients coming to the respiratory examination is high. Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tien Dung, former Head of Pediatrics Department (Bach Mai Hospital) said that the child is mainly suffering from upper respiratory tract cough and lower respiratory tract infection, appearing coughs that worry parents.

In fact, coughing due to respiratory infections in children despite vomiting is not a problem. They rarely cause children to be exhausted and insomnia, but it is also beneficial by helping to expel mucus and sputum. Therefore, PGS Dung recommends parents to calm down, not finding any way to cut a child's cough.

According to Associate Professor Dung, depending on the pathology, each coughing episodes manifests differently, so the doctors will be the decision makers of the drug and if necessary, which ones to use.

Children are being examined at the National Pediatric Hospital.(Photo: Le Mai).

For example, if a child coughs due to a cold, virus, upper respiratory infection, the doctor gives the child a group of herbal cough pills, expectorant even if a cough without medication can still "run out of time" after a few days. or 1-2 weeks. If impatient, parents should look for oriental medicine or homemade cough medicine such as pickled lemon honey, chives, steamed tangerine shell honey, steamed rose candy sugar.

For coughs caused by pneumonia and bronchitis , children using sputum cough with acetylcysteine ​​have the effect of draining mucus, reducing the consistency of sputum in the lungs. Because the drug works by stimulating patients to cough up sputum out, many parents wonder why children who take the medicine still cough but do not know the cough at this time is beneficial.

Cough containing carbocysteine ​​active substance also acts like acetylcysteine ​​group but only used with respiratory disease difficult to sputum sputum such as upper and lower respiratory tract infections in mild and moderate.

In case of persistent cough due to allergic rhinitis , it is recommended to use nasal allergy sprays or clopheniramine, diphenhydramine in combination with some other preparations to treat coughs and colds. However, PGS Dung noted that these drugs should not be used for patients with cough due to bronchitis, pneumonia or acute asthma attacks because they can tighten the mucous membranes, easily lead to respiratory failure or side effects such as Dry mouth, drowsiness, poor appetite.

Determining a child with coughing irritation, the doctor will prescribe a group of cough medicines that act on the coughing center in the brain such as dextromethorphan. Non-phlegm-free drugs, only temporary relief of coughs due to mild irritation in the bronchus, common in common colds. Use of dextromethorphan should be especially careful because despite its low toxicity, taking high doses may also cause respiratory depression. Do not use dextromethorphan with children under 2 years old and patients with stagnant sputum, drooling.

In addition, cough containing codeine also reduced cough thanks to the same mechanism of dextromethorphan but drying and tightening of bronchial secretions, not suitable for people with sputum, not recommended for children under 5 years old.