Hoarse cough in a child without fever

Associated symptoms

A hoarse cough is accompanied by symptoms:

Hoarseness and hoarseness. The voice shrinks, becomes muffled, sounds are accompanied by hissing, or becomes coarser, extraneous noises and wheezing appear.
Body temperature rises to 38-40°C.
Nasal congestion or runny discharge.
Pain in the larynx or trachea, chest and back.
Sweating.
Frequent and difficult breathing, shortness of breath.
Young patients experience moodiness, weakness, loss of interest in entertainment, and refusal to eat.

In newborns, due to the elasticity of the respiratory tract, a rare wheezing cough is physiological, without side symptoms. There is no need to worry about this if the pediatrician examined the baby and did not find any pathologies. But if a child who is one and a half years old wheezes and coughs, this is a sign of illness. In this situation, a doctor’s consultation is already necessary.

Possible reasons

Causes of a hoarse cough include:

Laryngitis

Inflammation of the larynx: laryngitis, pharyngitis. Wheezing occurs from pain and soreness in the throat, but they are absent in the lungs. The voice is weak, hoarse. A child's cough can last for a month.
Viral rhinitis. The pathogen, getting on the nasal mucosa, provokes a protective reaction of the body, which manifests itself in the form of a runny nose. At the third stage of the disease, thick snot flows down the wall of the throat and causes a cough with wheezing, often at night.
Tracheitis. Dry cough bothers you at night, after waking up and when taking a deep breath.
Bronchitis. At first the symptom is dry, after 3-4 days it becomes wet. Wheezing occurs from bridges formed by viscous mucus in the lumens of the respiratory tract. In early childhood, bilateral bronchitis is common. The reason is weak immunity and an incompletely formed bronchial tree. But cases of the disease in infants are rare - they are protected by the immunity received from mother's milk.
Pneumonia. It is characterized by a hoarse voice, dry and wet cough. In a one-year-old child, the nasolabial triangle turns blue, but wheezing in the lungs may not be audible.
Bronchial asthma. A severe dry cough occurs during sleep. The cause is a spasm of the bronchial muscles. It is dangerous if the patient coughs without wheezing - this means that the airways have closed completely. In such cases, you need to quickly call an ambulance.
A foreign object entering the child's respiratory tract irritates the mucous membrane, causing a dry cough. If the bronchus cannot be cleared, an inflammatory process may develop.

If a baby screams for a long time and loudly, due to overstrain of the vocal cords, he may become hoarse for a while and a slight cough will appear. This does not threaten his health in any way.

Allergic cough

An acute reaction to an allergen that a child has inhaled can result in bronchospasm and suffocation. Therefore, if you suspect an allergy, it makes sense to give your child any antihistamine (best in the form of drops or inhalation), and then go to the hospital.

A severe cough in children provokes increased swelling of the ligaments, so parents should pay the utmost attention to all doctor’s recommendations for the treatment of this disease. Very often, a dry cough changes to a strong, wet one after a few days. This means that the infection has descended lower, into the trachea and bronchi, and it needs to be treated somewhat differently.

How to treat a hoarse voice and cough in a child depends on the cause that caused this condition. If symptoms occur due to overstrain of the vocal cords, the child is treated at home; medical attention is not required. But acute stenosing laryngitis cannot be treated on your own; you must urgently consult a doctor.

Diagnostics

To identify the cause of the cough and make a correct diagnosis, the doctor first determines the nature of the wheezing. They are:

To make an accurate diagnosis, the doctor needs to determine the nature of wheezing.

Pulmonary, often wet. Listen while exhaling.
Extrapulmonary, for example, in heart failure. The noises are dry and quiet, audible in both phases of the respiratory cycle.

The wheezing may sound like gurgling water or the sound of bubbles popping. With asthma, a whistling sound appears in the chest. Sometimes the wheezing is so loud that people nearby can hear it.

Attention is also paid to the color of the skin, the frequency and degree of difficulty breathing, and shortness of breath. Then laboratory tests of blood and sputum are carried out. Just by its appearance, you can determine the nature of the infection: if it is viral, the mucus is light, if it is bacterial, it is green. An X-ray of the lungs is required and, if necessary, a bronchoscopy.

Treatment options

Before treating a cough with wheezing, the cause is determined. This is the only way to prescribe adequate therapy, since there is no universal way to get rid of the symptom.

To treat a hoarse cough in a child, drug therapy, traditional healing and physiotherapeutic procedures are used. The latter, in addition to hardware treatment, include health-improving gymnastics, special breathing exercises, inhalations, and massage.

Therapeutic measures are aimed at fighting infection and clearing mucus from the bronchi. If the child’s pathology is caused by pneumonia or bronchitis, it is better to go to the hospital. At home, it is necessary to follow all doctor’s prescriptions, maintain bed rest, and do not forget to ventilate the room and humidify the air. The child should eat high-calorie foods and drink plenty of fluids.

Medication

It is rarely possible to cure a hoarse cough without the use of drug therapy. It includes several groups of drugs.

Depending on the type of infection, antiviral agents are used - Nazoferon, Alfarekin or antibacterial agents - Amoxicillin, Flemoxin, Clarithromycin, Ceftriaxone. To relieve inflammation, Paracetamol, Nise, Panadol, Nimesulide are prescribed, and in severe cases, corticosteroids (Dexamethasone).

For the symptomatic treatment of wheezing and cough, soluble tablets and syrups are used. If thick and viscous bronchial secretions do not allow coughing, mucolytics are used: Acetylcysteine, Bromhexine, Ambroxol, Fluimucil. They contribute to its liquefaction and movement through the bronchi. To make it easier for the child to cough up sputum, expectorants are prescribed: Mucaltin, Alteyka, Herbion with primrose, Licorice root, Gedelix.

Immunomodulators and vitamin complexes are required to strengthen the body's defenses.

If the reflex is caused by an inflammatory process in the nasopharynx, antiviral drugs and vasoconstrictor drops are used: Sanorin, Naphthyzin, Galazolin. For laryngitis, gargling and warm drinks are recommended to moisturize the mucous membrane. For allergic coughs and to relieve swelling of the throat and bronchi, antihistamines are used: Diazolin, Citrine, Suprastin and others.

ethnoscience

Traditional medicine methods help to heal faster. But they should be used after consultation with a doctor, because the same procedure can have the opposite effect for different causes of cough. Thus, steam inhalations of boiled potatoes are done for inflammation of the upper respiratory tract and bronchial asthma, but they are contraindicated for pneumonia or purulent bronchitis.

Steam inhalations are not recommended for babies under one year old. Children under 7 years old can breathe over potatoes only as prescribed by a doctor - under the influence of heat, the already narrow lumen in the bronchi narrows, and the mucus swells, which leads to obstruction of breathing, even suffocation.

For rhinitis, instillation of the juice of Kalanchoe, agave, carrots into the nose (onion or garlic juice is not used for children), hot baths with salt for the feet and palms with the forearm help well. When you have a cold, it is useful to rinse your nasopharynx 3-4 times a day. To do this, use a saline solution (it is better to use sea salt) and chamomile decoction. You can gargle every hour. Decoctions and infusions of medicinal herbs, chest and expectorant preparations, and mustard plasters ease coughing.

The main condition under which various manipulations can be performed on a child (warming, massage, compresses) is normal body temperature.

At elevated body temperatures, any warming procedures are prohibited

wheezing when exhaling and coughing in a child

Your child has a cold... Malaise, chills, painful cough... Unfortunately, almost all parents have to face such problems. Cough is one of the most common symptoms of childhood illnesses. A cough is a sharp exhalation - this is a protective reaction of the body; it cleanses the bronchi of foreign particles, microorganisms or bronchial mucus (sputum). Cough accompanies a large number of diseases. It can provoke vomiting, hoarseness, be accompanied by anxiety, disturb sleep, and worsen the course of the underlying disease. Causes of cough Most often (in 90% of cases), cough is a symptom of acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI). In this case, the infectious and inflammatory process can be localized in the upper (nose, nasopharynx, oropharynx) and lower respiratory tract (larynx, trachea, bronchi, lungs). Another cause of cough in children can be inflammation of the ENT organs (nose, paranasal sinuses, pharynx), the presence of adenoids (enlarged pharyngeal tonsil). Cough is one of the most important clinical signs of bronchial asthma[1]. With this disease, coughing can be the equivalent of asthma attacks. A sudden cough may be a signal of inhalation of a foreign body into the trachea and bronchi, which poses a serious threat to the child’s life and requires immediate medical intervention. Cough can also be caused by diseases not related to the respiratory system. For example, it can occur in children with heart defects or gastrointestinal pathologies. The cause of the development of a cough can be a high concentration of harmful substances in the air (gas contamination, the presence of tobacco smoke), as well as too dry and overheated air in the room. More rare causes include psychogenic (reflex) cough, which occurs, for example, with pathology of the external auditory canal (cerumen plugs) and the middle ear (with its inflammation). Classification Based on the duration of cough, there are acute (lasting up to 3 weeks) and chronic (lasting 3-8 weeks or more). Some experts believe that a cough in children can be called chronic when it was observed more than 3-4 times during one year and occurred without signs of acute infection (fever, weakness, runny nose, etc.). By nature, the cough is divided into productive (“wet”), if it is accompanied by sputum production, and unproductive (“dry”), if there is no sputum production. However, such divisions are largely arbitrary, and these characteristics of cough are not mutually exclusive. It should be emphasized that in children, especially in the first years of life, a nonproductive cough is often caused by increased viscosity of sputum, a violation of its “sliding” along the bronchi, and insufficient work of the bronchial muscles. Therefore, there is no external secretion of sputum, although it is formed. The origin of the cough can be assumed by analyzing its character. Thus, a dry, loud, jerky (barking) cough occurs when the larynx and trachea are inflamed; convulsive cough with rapidly following one after another, interrupted by noisy exhalation, leading to vomiting is observed with such an infectious disease as whooping cough; against the background of wheezing - with bronchial asthma. When analyzing the nature of a productive cough, you should pay attention to the characteristics of sputum. Thus, a cough with the release of light sputum, which acquires a yellow-green color during periods of exacerbation, is possible with chronic bronchitis, sputum mixed with blood occurs, for example, with pulmonary tuberculosis, etc. How does a cough occur? The impact of any damaging factor (both infectious and non-infectious) on the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract causes acute inflammation. At the same time, the number and area of distribution of cells secreting sputum significantly increases. Its quantity and viscosity increases, which causes disruption of mucus mobility and difficulty in its secretion. As a result, a cough develops, the physiological role of which is to clear the airways of everything that accumulates in them. Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract is always accompanied by a decrease in the functions of the bronchi, and then the lungs. The body of a sick child does not receive enough oxygen, which leads to disruption of many metabolic processes. The local immunological protection of the respiratory tract is reduced, and this is fraught with a protracted course of the inflammatory process and can contribute to its chronicity. When a cough is dangerous: sudden and continuous; with wheezing that can be heard at a distance; nocturnal, paroxysmal; mixed with blood; with green sputum; developed against the background of ARVI, and lasting more than 3 weeks. You must seek medical help immediately. An in-depth examination of the child is indicated. An urgent call to a doctor, even at the slightest sign of illness, is necessary for all children under one year of age, children with severe chronic diseases, as well as if the child has a high temperature (above 38° C) or shortness of breath. Diagnostics If you decide to contact a specialist about your baby’s cough, you should start communicating with a pediatrician. At the appointment, the doctor will find out how long the child has been bothered by the cough, whether it is dry or wet (the color and consistency of the sputum), what time of day it occurs (at night or during the day), whether the cough is accompanied by an attack of suffocation, whether the child has eaten nuts or played small parts that could be swallowed, whether the temperature has risen, whether the cough is dependent on the weather, physical activity, air pollution or contact with possible allergens (house dust, animal hair, pollen), whether anyone in the family suffers from allergic diseases, Do family members smoke, etc. Additional tests are prescribed (chest x-ray, x-ray of the paranasal sinuses), some of which are carried out only in specialized medical institutions. For example, if there is a suspicion of the presence of a foreign body in the bronchi or with frequent bronchitis or pneumonia, bronchoscopy (examination of the bronchi using a bronchoscope - a device similar to a hose and equipped with a miniature video camera, the image from which is transmitted to the monitor) or bronchography is performed to determine the reasons for their recurrence. (X-ray examination of the bronchi with a contrast agent). Microbiological examination of sputum, identification of antibodies to viruses and other microorganisms that provoke cough in the blood, identification of allergens, etc. can also be carried out. Further, consultations with other specialists may be necessary: an allergist, otolaryngologist, cardiologist, etc. Treatment Treatment of a disease accompanied by a cough should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor. Therapy should be started at the first signs of the disease. Unfortunately, there is no “golden pill” that can save you from all troubles. Therefore, treatment should be comprehensive and aimed at eliminating the cause of the disease, as well as its symptoms and increasing the body’s defenses. The regimen of a sick child should be gentle, but you should not significantly limit the motor activity of a small patient. Movement improves the cleansing of the bronchi from accumulated mucus and speeds up recovery. If a child wants to play, play with him; of course, these should not be overly active games (running, jumping, etc.), quieter games are preferable. It is useful to take an infant in your arms more often, very gently patting the back. The diet should be gentle. If your baby refuses to eat, don’t force him, but offer him light but high-calorie food: jelly, jelly, warm milkshake, fruit puree. It doesn’t matter if the baby eats less than usual for 2-3 days. But you definitely need to drink a lot. The liquid improves the removal of toxins from the body, helps to liquefy and remove phlegm. Prepare your child’s favorite drinks, juices, offer to drink them from a funny sippy cup or through a straw, while playing, give your baby something to drink. The main methods of treating cough in children with ARVI are measures aimed at liquefying and removing sputum. For better sputum removal, it is necessary to humidify the air in the room where the child is. During the cold season, in a room with central heating, you can put a damp towel or sheet on the radiator. But it is better to use a special electrical device - an air humidifier. Now there is a huge selection of drugs that help reduce viscosity (mucolytic drugs) and improve expectoration (expectorants) of sputum. Which ones should you prefer? For a cough that appears against the background of an acute respiratory viral infection, expectorants of plant origin can be recommended: decoctions of coltsfoot, wild rosemary, elecampane (they are prepared in a water bath in accordance with the instructions), black radish juice with honey, plantain juice, anise and thyme fruit extract . This group also includes thermopsis preparations, marshmallow, licorice, and essential oils. Preparations made from ivy leaves (PROSPAN, GEDELIX) have proven themselves well. The active principles of the listed herbal remedies are alkaloids and saponins - substances that make bronchial mucus more liquid, increase its quantity, enhance bronchial contraction and promote expectoration of sputum. But the importance and capabilities of herbal preparations should not be overestimated. Their effect is short-lived, frequent doses of small doses are necessary, because increasing a single dose causes nausea and vomiting. In addition, drugs in this group can significantly increase the volume of sputum, which young children are not able to cough up on their own, which leads to a significant disruption of the drainage function of the bronchi. If the child’s cough does not become wet on the 3-4th day of illness, expectoration of sputum is difficult, it is necessary to begin treatment with modern synthetic mucolytic drugs. The drug acetylcysteine (ACC, MUKOBENE, FLUIMUCIN) has proven itself well. The drug well and quickly dilutes sputum, pus, mucous discharge from the nose, and has an anti-inflammatory effect. Special forms have been developed for preschool children - ACC-100. The drug dissolves easily in water and has a pleasant taste. The duration of the course depends on the nature and course of the respiratory tract disease and is 3-14 days for acute pathology, 2-3 weeks for chronic diseases. If necessary, courses of treatment can be repeated. One of the best mucolytics of the new generation is ambroxol (AMBROBEN, AMBROHEXAL, LAZOLVAN). Ambroxol thins mucus well and has a more pronounced expectorant effect, has an anti-inflammatory effect, and strengthens local immunity. An important feature of this drug is the ability to increase the content of surfactant in the lungs - a substance that maintains the surface tension of the lungs and improves their distensibility, which indirectly improves expectoration of sputum. It is possible to use ambroxol from the first months of a child’s life, even in premature infants. The duration of treatment ranges from 1 to 3-4 weeks, depending on the effect and nature of the process. The well-known BROMHEXINE also dilutes sputum well, improving its evacuation. The drug is relatively inexpensive, has children's forms, but is inferior in effectiveness to acetylcysteine and ambroxol. There are drugs that have not only a mucolytic effect, but also restore the normal activity of the cells of the bronchial mucosa that produce secretions. They are called mucoregulators. Among the drugs in this group, the best known are those based on carbocisteine (BRONKATAR, MUCODIN, MUCOPRONT). However, while taking them, the child may develop a tendency to constipation. Particular attention should be paid to antitussive drugs, i.e. means that suppress the cough reflex. The need to suppress cough in children is extremely rare. Moreover, if a child has increased production of viscous secretions, the use of an antitussive drug can significantly worsen the drainage function of the bronchi, increase the likelihood of secondary infection, and aggravate respiratory failure. Antitussive drugs include drugs of central action that affect the cough center of the brain (narcotic - CODEINE and non-narcotic - GLAUVENT, TUSUPREX, SINEKOD) and peripheral drugs that block nerve endings in the mucous membranes of the tracheobronchial tree (LIBEXIN). The prescription of antitussive drugs (non-narcotic!) may be justified in cases where a child has a painful dry cough, leading to vomiting, chest pain, sleep and appetite disturbances, for example, with whooping cough. You should refrain from using them on your own. Also, only a doctor can decide on the advisability of using combination drugs, which include, among other things, antitussive components (HEXAPNEUMIN, LORAIN, STOPTUSSIN). They are often contraindicated for preschoolers. And the use of combined drugs containing ephedrine (BRONCHOLITIN, SOLUTANE) is possible only in rare cases of the production of copious liquid sputum, because ephedrine has a “drying” effect. Considering that inflammation is the main mechanism in the development of respiratory diseases accompanied by cough, anti-inflammatory drugs certainly have a positive effect. In recent years, fenspiride (ERESPAL) has been successfully used as an anti-inflammatory agent for acute and chronic respiratory diseases in children of any age, which indirectly improves sputum discharge. Antibiotics are not always used for cough in children. Only a doctor can decide the advisability of antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and some other types of therapy for cough in children. The same remark applies to drugs that expand the lumen of the bronchi - bronchodilators. If cough is a manifestation of bronchial obstruction (narrowing), for example, in bronchial asthma, inhaled forms of short-acting β2-agonists (SALBUTAMOL, VENTOLIN), anticholinergic drugs (ATROVENT) or their combination - BERODUAL, as well as theophyllines are used as bronchodilator therapy in children short-acting (EUPHYLLIN). Inhalations In pediatric practice, in the complex treatment of diseases accompanied by cough, various methods of drug delivery can be combined. So, along with the use of tablets and syrups, inhalations have been used in the treatment of respiratory organs since ancient times. During inhalation, the drug directly affects the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, respiratory muscles and nerve endings, which helps to liquefy sputum, reduce bronchospasm, and stop coughing. Steam inhalation is the simplest and most effective treatment method that can be done at home. Steam inhalations are effective only for diseases of the upper respiratory tract. Thus, inhalation of a solution of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda; 4 teaspoons per 1 liter of water) or alkaline mineral waters such as Borjomi will help with unproductive, obsessive cough in children [2]. It is necessary to strictly observe safety measures when carrying out inhalation, never leave the child unattended. Inhalations with boiling water are CONTRAINDICATED for children. For a child under one year old, the water temperature during inhalation should be no more than 30°C, and for older children - 30-40°C. Water at the required temperature is poured into a kettle with a narrow neck. Make a funnel out of cardboard and put it on the spout of the teapot. Check the temperature of the steam on yourself and begin the procedure, duration – 1-3 minutes, 1-2 times a day. Currently, in medical practice there is an increasing interest in carrying out inhalation therapy using nebulizers (from Latin - fog, cloud) - ultrasonic and compression inhalers that generate an aerosol cloud consisting of microparticles of the inhaled solution. The advantages of nebulizer therapy include: an easy to perform inhalation technique, the ability to perform the procedure on infants and young children (via a mask), delivery of a higher dose of the inhaled substance in a short period of time and ensuring its penetration into poorly ventilated areas of the bronchi. The total volume of the inhaled substance is 3-4 ml (if necessary, the drug is diluted with saline), the inhalation time is 5-7 minutes. It should be remembered that the nebulizer is best used in children with bronchial asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia. Massage In the complex treatment of cough in children at home, a light massage of the chest (patting and tapping movements are especially good to improve mucus discharge) and reflexogenic zones (for example, feet) can be recommended. Carrying out a massage with herbal balm (DOCTOR MOM, BRONCHICUM) will increase its effectiveness. Cough prevention In order for a child to get colds less often, he needs to be hardened. You need to start hardening from the first days of life. Air baths and water procedures will be very useful for the baby. Do not overheat the child, do not put a lot of warm clothes on him. If the baby's feet and palms are dry and warm, the clothes have been chosen correctly. Pouring your baby's feet with cool water every day is very effective. In summer, it is useful to run barefoot on the grass, and in winter, soak a towel in salt water (1 tablespoon of salt per liter of warm water), wring it out well and lay it on the floor - let the baby jump on it, then rub the feet[3]. Impact on the reflexogenic zones of the feet stimulates the functioning of the immune system. Spend more time outdoors at any time of the year. Never smoke in the presence of a child! During the cold season, during outbreaks of viral infections, try not to attend crowded events. If someone in the family gets sick, it is advisable to isolate the patient; be sure to provide him with separate dishes. If isolation is not possible, a gauze bandage should be worn when in contact with the child. A nutritious diet rich in vitamins will improve your child's health. In winter and spring, it is good for children to take a 2-3 month course of multivitamins with macro- and microelements. Frequently ill children, as well as all children during periods of increased risk of acute respiratory viral infections, can be recommended to take herbal preparations that strengthen the body's defenses. These are preparations made from the plant Echinacea purpurea (IMMUNAL), tinctures of ginseng, eleutherococcus, zamaniha, and Rhodiola rosea. The prophylactic course is usually 3-4 weeks; it is recommended for children over one year of age. For patients with recurrent and chronic respiratory diseases, sanatorium-resort treatment is indicated. Thus, effective therapy for cough in children should not consist in suppressing it, but in fact in strengthening it, provided that the cough is transferred from unproductive (“dry”) to productive. This ultimately leads to improved bronchial function, restoration of airway patency, elimination of irritation of the bronchial mucosa, and cessation of the cough reflex. However, cough can accompany a very large number of diseases, so timely and correctly established diagnosis is the main key to successful treatment of cough in children. [1] Bronchial asthma (BA) is a chronic allergic inflammatory disease of the bronchi, in which their patency is impaired (this phenomenon is called bronchial obstruction), attacks of difficulty breathing and suffocation occur, accompanied by wheezing, a feeling of tightness in the chest, as well as coughing, which sometimes occurs especially painful at night or early in the morning.

Possible complications

Complications of acute bronchitis include: chronic form, bronchiolitis, peribronchitis and other serious diseases. Untreated bronchial inflammation often develops into pneumonia, which has a high mortality rate (almost 16%). Complications of pneumonia include: pleurisy, bronchiectasis, emphysema, malignant intoxication, convulsions, sepsis, respiratory arrest.

A hoarse cough in a child can be prevented by strengthening the immune system and treating colds in a timely manner. Self-medication means risking the child’s health, so at the first sign of malaise, chest pain, wheezing or dry cough, you should consult a doctor.

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Mechanism of symptoms

Usually, a child's hoarse cough does not appear or stop on its own. It may also be accompanied by the following symptoms:

fever;
intoxication;
weakness and fatigue;
hoarse voice;
sore throat;
runny nose;
inflammation of the larynx;
difficulty swallowing;
wheezing.

For example, with bronchitis or asthma, whistling sounds may be heard when a child exhales. This is the result of swelling of the bronchi. And thick sputum can lead to spasm of the bronchi and lead to respiratory failure. If a child begins to have a barking cough with wheezing, or asthma attacks, you must immediately call an ambulance.

Does your child have a hoarse voice and a cough? This may be a symptom of pneumonia. Mostly it appears after a previous viral infection. If the mentioned signs appear, you should forget about self-medication and immediately consult a doctor.

Causes of wheezing in a child

Before moving on to treating wheezing, you should find out why it occurred in your child. The location of the lesion may be the larynx or lower respiratory tract. Thus, tracheal, pulmonary and bronchial wheezing are distinguished. Often the pathology is not related to the respiratory system at all, but is a consequence of inflammation of the ligaments.

If left untreated, laryngitis becomes chronic and nodules form on the larynx, which cause wheezing. The main signs of pathology are presented in the table:

Disease	What happens in the throat	Other symptoms
ARVI	Soreness, painful swallowing	Fever, cough, runny nose, lethargy
Sore throat, tonsillitis	Difficulty swallowing, pain	Swollen tonsils, enlarged lymph nodes, fever
Adenoiditis	Pain	Long runny nose, difficulty breathing through the nose, night snoring
Tracheitis	Hoarseness, loss of voice	Whistling when inhaling, exhaling, barking cough, profuse sputum for 3-4 days
Laryngitis, pharyngitis	Tingling, slight hoarseness, or loss of voice	Dry cough, difficulty breathing. On the third or fourth day of illness, the cough becomes wet
Bronchitis	Wheezing coming from the chest	Cough, wheezing, fever

If you have a cough

A hoarse cough in a child is a common symptom of infectious diseases. It is caused by laryngitis, pharyngitis and other throat diseases. In addition, a hoarse cough may indicate lung pathology (inflammation, emphysema, bronchitis). Cough, hoarseness and watery eyes can be caused by pollen allergies. It is impossible for parents to diagnose the disease and prescribe treatment on their own. Research is needed to determine the exact cause.

If there is no cough

In newborns, wheezing may indicate congenital stridor. The noise is heard during inhalation and exhalation, its strength depends on the position of the child. In a relaxed state it decreases, with crying and anxiety it increases. Congenital stridor occurs due to underdevelopment of the laryngeal cartilages and goes away on its own by the age of one.

Wheezing in the lungs can be caused by a foreign body in the trachea. If it gets stuck in the trachea, the baby may talk and even cough sometimes. In this case, the tissues suffer from oxygen starvation, which leads to wheezing and increased breathing. Pathology can be caused by injuries to the larynx, adenoids, and thoracic aortic aneurysm.

How to get rid of cough with wheezing and other symptoms in children

Cough accompanied by wheezing when breathing is a common symptom that is present in many diseases.
This symptom often occurs in children. Wheezing can be either wet or dry. In some cases, children may also have snot. All of these symptoms often indicate the presence of a disease that needs immediate treatment. They indicate that an inflammatory process is occurring in the child’s body. However, other diseases may also be present. A cough with wheezing causes discomfort to the baby.

In children, such signs can cause serious complications.

It is not uncommon for children to have wheezing along with a cough.

Reasons for deviations

Before starting treatment for a particular disease, it is necessary to find out the cause of its occurrence. Only through this can the most effective therapy be selected. Cough with wheezing can occur for various reasons. The main ones:

asthma;
neoplasms in the respiratory system;
foreign object stuck in the respiratory tract;
pneumonia;
bronchitis;
diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Cough with wheezing is observed with the onset of asthma

In order to find out the cause of wheezing in the lungs, it is necessary to draw up a complete clinical picture of the disease. To do this, parents should pay attention to accompanying symptoms. It is not uncommon for a child to develop coughing and wheezing during infancy.

If such symptoms occur, doctors carefully examine the baby. There is no disease if the baby does not exhibit additional signs. In infants, coughing and wheezing may be normal. Until the age of 2 years, the baby has more elastic airways.

This is why wheezing sounds may be present.

For a 2-year-old child, unwanted symptoms may cause discomfort. During this period, the airways are already fully formed. Present signs may indicate some kind of violation. You should contact a medical facility for help if you have:

temperature;
runny nose;
sneezing and other unwanted symptoms.

Help is required if a runny nose is added to other symptoms

A child without a fever may have a cough and wheezing if he has asthma. In this case, coughing occurs most often in the afternoon. It intensifies at night.

There is no doubt about the presence of asthma if such a disease was present in the child’s relatives.

Coughing and wheezing when breathing in a small child may be present in the presence of serious disorders in the body. Such symptoms may indicate bronchiolitis. This is an infectious disease that affects the bronchi. With this disease the following symptoms are present:

difficulty breathing;
prolonged coughing attack;
rapid breathing.

With bronchitis, among other symptoms, the child develops breathing problems

Parents should immediately call a doctor if their child has these symptoms. There is a high probability that the baby will be hospitalized. This disease requires serious medical treatment.

Fever

With wheezing, the child may also have an elevated body temperature. In children, such symptoms may indicate the presence of serious illnesses that require immediate treatment. The temperature of a hoarse baby may indicate:

Such diseases are not life-threatening if treatment was correctly selected and started on time.

Wheezing with cough may occur with pneumonia

Bronchitis is a disease in which an inflammatory process occurs in the bronchi. This disease occurs more often in children than in adults. There are two known forms of this disease:

A child may become hoarse after an infection in the throat. Then it gradually begins to spread and affects the bronchi. This disease is treatable. The main thing is to choose the most effective and safe medications. The temperature during the disease increases significantly, and the child stops breathing fully.

Wheezing in a child may be accompanied by a cough and fever if the following diseases are present:

pneumonia;
laryngitis;
pharyngitis.

With pharyngitis, wheezing with coughing attacks is also present

With the listed diseases, the child complains of an increase in temperature just a few hours after their onset. In preschool age, such infectious diseases can result in serious complications. This is due to the fact that many medications are strictly prohibited for children.

Treatment with traditional methods

A cough without fever, accompanied by wheezing, can be cured without medications. As a rule, such symptoms do not indicate serious disorders. Many parents do not know what to do if their child has a cough and wheezing. They most often give preference to medications, not even suspecting that they can do without their help.

Giving your child vitamin complexes is useful both during treatment and simply to improve health.

Wheezing and coughing without fever in a child are symptoms with which children often go to the hospital. If these symptoms occur, it is recommended:

Drink plenty of fluids. Drinks should be warm, but not hot. You can give preference to herbal or fruit teas. However, up to 10 years of age, any natural component can significantly harm a child, so it is imperative to consult a doctor before using it.
Walk with your child in the fresh air every day. A cough without significant wheezing in a child is not an obstacle to walking. It is recommended to stay home only if your baby has a high temperature or is not feeling well. Experts allow children to be taken for a walk even when the weather is cool outside. In this case, coughing and wheezing will not get worse.
Take vitamins. It is recommended to do this even without coughing. Vitamin complexes allow you to strengthen the body's protective functions. Thanks to this, the child will cope with the disease as soon as possible.

Regular walks are beneficial and will help relieve symptoms faster.

When a small patient has difficulty breathing, it is recommended to give preference to inhalations. The child can also steam their feet in hot water with various herbs and essential oils added to it. However, this can only be done if the baby does not have an elevated body temperature.

In the early stages of the disease, warm milk with the addition of honey is highly effective. The beekeeping product must be completely natural. It is recommended to purchase honey directly from the apiary.

Radish also has healing properties. You can use its juice for treatment. You can also make a salad using this natural ingredient.

If a coughing attack occurs, you can give your baby a tablespoon of honey. Most often, deterioration of the condition occurs at night. Thanks to honey, the baby’s sleep will normalize and the attack will disappear.

Inhalations are effective in treating cough with wheezing.

Traditional methods

Drug treatment is selected based on the individual characteristics of a particular patient. Children with the same symptoms may be diagnosed with different diseases. A child who has a dry cough, wheezing and signs of inflammation of the respiratory tract is prescribed:

expectorants;
compresses;
medications to help relieve symptoms.

This treatment is recommended only in the absence of elevated body temperature. Otherwise, the doctor may prescribe other medications. As a rule, at elevated body temperatures, antibiotics are preferred. Unfortunately, in some cases it will not be possible to completely cure the child without them.

When prescribing medications, the doctor takes into account the baby’s weight and age. It also takes into account the presence of individual intolerance to any component. It is also worth noting that the course of antibiotics must be completed to the end. Otherwise, the disease may become chronic.

A doctor must prescribe medications for the treatment of children

In some cases, the baby may be hospitalized. This is possible if:

the young patient is under 2 years of age;
the disease is at an advanced stage.

Often, for effective treatment, it is recommended to combine traditional and drug therapy. Thanks to this, you will be able to get rid of the disease as soon as possible.

The cough is often accompanied by wheezing. Such symptoms may indicate the presence of a wide variety of diseases. The baby may also have an elevated body temperature. With such a sign, treatment should be started immediately. In some cases, urgent hospitalization may be necessary.

The topic of the video is difficulty breathing and coughing:

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Treatment of wheezing

Sometimes wheezing takes mother and child by surprise, it happens at night, unexpectedly. If a child wheezes, first aid before the doctor arrives should be as follows:

providing warm drinks - milk, alkaline mineral water, tea;
keep the baby in an upright position to facilitate breathing;
give an antihistamine (Suprastin, Erius, Cetrin), since very often the cause of wheezing is an allergic reaction.

Before treating wheezing in the throat or lungs, a pediatrician or otolaryngologist establishes the correct diagnosis. For this purpose, examination of the oral cavity, auscultation, and radiography are performed. After diagnosis, treatment is indicated. The nature of therapy and recommendations depend on the type and stage of the disease, age, and general condition of the hoarse baby. Inhalations, medications, and physiotherapeutic measures are required.

Drug treatment

For wheezing and coughing in a child, you cannot do without taking certain medications. They are prescribed by a doctor after clarifying the diagnosis:

for colds - expectorant syrups, cough mixtures (Ambrobene, Brombhexine);
for laryngitis - sprays (Miramistin), antitussives (Sinekod), antispasmodics (Eufillin), antibiotics (Amoxicillin);
for moist wheezing - marshmallow root, Mucoltin;
for allergies - drops in the nose and eyes, antihistamine pills;
for inflammation of the vocal cords - Cameton, Ingalipt, Lugol, Eucabal, Petrussin, Gerbion, Ambroxol (they should be treated if there is sputum production and other pathological symptoms).

Folk remedies

If your throat is hoarse, folk remedies can help, which can be used after consultation with a doctor. Gentle recipes are as follows:

Banana. Prepare puree from two ripe bananas, add honey (a teaspoon). Mix until smooth. The baby should eat a portion throughout the day.
Fig. Boil figs in milk, remove and do not use. Give the decoction warm to a child with a hoarse voice to drink in small sips.
Herbal infusion. The collection should include plantain (5 shares), peppermint and marshmallow root (4 shares each), coltsfoot (3 shares), licorice (2 shares). Mix the dry raw materials, pour 30 grams with a glass of cool water, close the container and leave for 3 hours. Then bring to a boil, boil for 10 minutes, cool. Give your baby 10-12 ml before meals three times a day.

Inhalations and compresses for wheezing

At home, inhalations using a nebulizer (cold) or a steam inhaler (hot) have worked well.
For children under 2 years old, cold inhalations with alkaline mineral water are best suited. According to the doctor's indications, Eufillin, saline, is used for treatment. solution, Prednisolone. Procedures can be performed at a baby’s body temperature of up to 38 degrees. Hot inhalations with herbs should be given to children over 2 years old, making sure there are no allergic reactions. It is best to do them using a special device. If there is none, you can use the following recipe: pour a liter of water into a wide saucepan, add 3 tbsp. l. herbal mixture (sage, chamomile, eucalyptus), boil for a couple of minutes. Then add 2 pinches of soda, cool slightly and breathe with the baby under the blanket. If the child is very small, it is enough to place the saucepan in the bathroom and sit in it with the child.

Compresses for a sore throat are applied to infants and older children at night, provided there is no fever. Very simple and effective - potato. Boiled potatoes are pounded, placed in a plastic bag, tied tightly and wrapped in a diaper. A warm bundle is placed on the baby’s chest and kept for an hour.

Exercise and massage

When the baby is breathing with wheezing, there is poor sputum discharge, it is necessary to do special expectoration exercises. You can take the baby by the legs and carry him in your arms. “Birch tree” and light tapping on the back are useful. The baby also needs tapping on the chest. It’s good to spread and cross the baby’s arms when he lies on his back. Drainage massage of the chest and back is effective. From the age of three, a child can use cups.

Prevention measures

Prevention of wheezing is to prevent the causes that cause unpleasant symptoms. This includes maintaining the correct microclimate in the child’s room, rational nutrition and daily routine. It is important to harden the baby, if possible, go with him to the sea or to a sanatorium. To prevent contact with virus carriers, you should avoid visiting crowded places during epidemics. You should maintain a calm, friendly atmosphere in the family and prevent the child from hysterics and screams.

Hoarseness in babies is a symptom that cannot be ignored. In order to avoid deterioration of the baby’s well-being and the occurrence of dangerous complications, it is important to find out its cause and begin prompt correction.

Treatment of wheezing in children

Hoarse throat in a child makes parents seriously worry about why they appeared, whether there is a threat to health, and most importantly, how to treat a hoarse throat in a child.

The content of the article

Firstly, it is necessary to distinguish between the concepts of “wheezing” and “hoarseness”.

In medicine, wheezing is a pathological noise that accompanies the act of breathing, while hoarseness is a change in voice timbre associated with damage to the vocal cords.

Wheezing occurs with various diseases of the lower respiratory tract, for example, with pneumonia. In addition, wheezing is observed in some cardiovascular diseases, allergies, etc.

Hoarseness (i.e. hoarseness, or hoarseness of voice) usually occurs when the vocal cords located in the larynx are not functioning properly. The most common cause of hoarseness is laryngitis, an inflammation of the larynx caused by infection. The condition of the vocal cords is negatively affected by their overstrain - prolonged screaming, loud singing, etc.

Let's talk about how to treat wheezing in a child's throat that appears when breathing or during a conversation.

How to treat barking cough in children

A barking cough in a child is associated with infectious inflammation of the upper and lower respiratory tract. As it flows, it can be productive or unproductive (dry, ineffective).

Sound and wheezing when air circulates during breathing are associated with swelling of the mucous membrane, excess dry or wet sputum, and involvement of the ligaments and subglottic space of the larynx in the pathological process. The nature of the cough is hysterical, paroxysmal, loud, and annoying.

The intensity depends on the following factors: age, diagnosis, severity of the general condition, and the presence of complications.

Causes
How to treat
What to give your child

Causes

The causes of barking cough are infectious agents that have penetrated the mucous membranes. Diseases of the respiratory system are caused by the following types of pathogenic microflora:

bacteria ─ streptococci, pneumococci;
viruses ─ adenoviruses, parainfluenza, rhinoviruses;
mushrooms ─ Candida.

A loud cough with wheezing is the main sign of laryngitis (inflammation of the larynx). It develops against the background of pronounced catarrh in the area of the ligaments and is accompanied by a hoarse voice.

In young children, noisy breathing is due to anatomical features. The lumen of the larynx is narrow; with inflammation, increased sputum production and swelling, its diameter decreases. This makes it difficult to breathe and causes a reflex muscle contraction. This is how acute stenosing laryngitis or false croup develops, the precursor of which is a barking, hysterical cough.

Another reason that contributes to the development of pathology in childhood is whooping cough and parawhooping cough. The disease is caused by gram-negative Bordetella bacteria (pertussis and parapertussis).

Once in the respiratory tract, microbes infect the epithelium and inflammation develops.

In the process of vital activity, microorganisms release toxins that irritate the nerve endings of the mucous membrane; the child develops a reflex cough as a protective mechanism.

Attacks of suffocation during whooping cough are caused by viscous sputum that is difficult to separate. The cough is often dry, lingering, and does not bring relief. Parapertussis has a less pronounced clinical picture. The patients do not have a fever and there are no complications. The child remains relatively active. In this case, a hysterical wet cough appears, the symptom lasts up to 2 months.

Loud barking coughing occurs with ARVI, influenza, pharyngitis, diphtheria (true croup).

Factors that create conditions for the development of inflammation of the ligaments and spasm of smooth muscles:

non-compliance with the temperature regime in the living room, insufficient air humidity;
unfavorable climatic conditions;
frequent hypothermia;
allergens;
thermal burns from inhaling hot steam (during inhalation using traditional methods).

Overweight children who have a lot of fatty tissue in the subglottic space are prone to developing a barking cough. In such a baby, swelling of the throat is more intense, over the entire area of the lumen of the larynx.

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How to treat

A loud cough with wheezing often develops in children under 5 years of age. This is due to the structural features of the respiratory organs (narrow larynx). It is during this period of life that the symptom poses a danger, since at any moment it can cause severe complications requiring urgent hospitalization. The development of laryngitis in schoolchildren does not pose a threat of spasm development, up to respiratory arrest.

Inflammation of the larynx with stenosis and the inability to cough always causes panic in the child. In order not to provoke an attack of suffocation, the patient should not be nervous or worried.

It is necessary to ensure complete emotional and psychological peace, minimize nervous tension and the negative influence of the environment.

You should not yell at your child, force him to take medications or perform physical therapy procedures.

A severe cough is caused by dry mucus that accumulates in the respiratory tract. The epithelial glands, in response to the introduction of an infectious agent, produce a larger amount of sputum.

Its structure is viscous, making it difficult to cough up. Dry and warm air promotes drying of the exudate.

In order to restore breathing as quickly as possible and stop barking cough in children, it is necessary to create a favorable microclimate in the room.

Conditions for keeping a sick child:

the air temperature in the room is no more than 18°C;
air humidity 50-70%;
daily wet cleaning and ventilation of the room.

Important! The viscosity of respiratory tract mucus directly depends on the concentration of blood. If the mucus is thick, this indicates that the blood is thick. To dilute internal fluids, the child must be given plenty of fluids.

Based on numerous WHO studies of evidence-based medicine, no benefits were found from expectorants over drinking plenty of alkaline water during a cough.

Therefore, if you provide the patient with proper care in a timely manner, drug treatment can be avoided.

With a barking cough, it is necessary to create some peace in order to restore the functionality of the ligaments and eliminate the hoarse voice.

This is difficult to do in childhood, since it is impossible to force the child to remain silent. Therefore, young patients recover from illness longer than adults.

A hoarse voice is a contraindication to hot steam inhalation. If there is dry mucus in the larynx, then under the influence of steam it will swell and clog the completely narrowed lumen. The child may suffocate. Humidification is only permissible with moist air at room temperature. Ultrasonic humidifiers are ideal for these purposes. The working device can be placed next to the bed.

Laryngitis is the cause of wheezing and coughing

If a child has a hoarse throat when talking, most likely he has laryngitis - an acute inflammation of the larynx. The larynx is a section of the respiratory tract located between the pharynx and trachea. It is in the larynx that the human vocal apparatus is located, and therefore inflammation of this organ inevitably leads to a change in the timbre of the voice.

Symptoms of laryngitis in adults and children:

hoarseness, hoarseness of voice, and in some cases - almost complete loss of voice (the patient can only speak in a whisper);
dryness, sore throat;
if the infection is localized on the back wall of the larynx, the patient may complain of pain when swallowing;
labored breathing;
in the first days of illness - a dry cough, which then turns into a wet one;
cough bothers you mainly at night and after waking up;
moderate increase in temperature (37-37.5C);
fatigue, headache.

The cause of laryngitis in children in most cases is acute respiratory viral infection (ARVI). The development of the disease is promoted by mouth breathing in the cold season, breathing polluted air, as well as physical strain on the vocal cords - screaming, loud laughter, etc.

Laryngitis is not always caused by ARVI. Inflammation of the larynx can be part of the clinical picture of other infectious diseases - whooping cough, measles, influenza, diphtheria, etc.

Symptoms and Treatments for Common Diseases

Depending on the disease that caused the severe cough, symptoms and treatment methods vary:

With pharyngitis, a dry cough is accompanied by a slight increase in temperature (up to 38 degrees). The child has a sore throat, especially when swallowing (at this point discomfort appears in the ears). This condition is treated with a diet excluding spicy and solid foods, as well as the use of inhalations, foot baths and gargling with chamomile decoction. At night you can give your child warm milk with honey.
Laryngitis affects the ligaments, so it is accompanied by a hoarse voice and a barking cough. The temperature can rise to 38 degrees. Recovery will come faster if the child does not speak, stays in a room with dry air and comes into contact with smokers. Alkaline inhalations, gargling with herbal decoctions and foot baths have a positive effect on laryngitis.
With tracheitis, pain appears behind the sternum, and the temperature rises to 39 degrees. The cough with this disease is strong and paroxysmal. The dry cough reflex initially turns into a wet one after some time. For tracheitis, the doctor prescribes antibacterial and antiviral agents that should be used together with inhalations.
With bronchitis, the temperature can rise very high, but doctors recommend bringing it down only in cases where the child does not tolerate hyperthermia well. In 90% of cases, the causative agent of this pathology is a virus, in which antibacterial agents will be powerless.
Pneumonia often becomes a complication of bronchitis. With it, the temperature can rise to 38 degrees. Treatment necessarily includes taking antibiotics, mucolytics and antipyretics. During the acute stage of this disease, children have pronounced intoxication, they feel weak and spend a lot of time in bed.
Bronchiolitis is characterized by severe difficulty breathing, and the child may experience severe shortness of breath, weakness, loss of appetite and lethargy. Treatment uses oxygen therapy, glucocorticosteroids and antibacterial drugs.

The choice of drugs for treating a child can only be made by a specialist after an in-person examination. The general recommendation is to drink plenty of fluids, take care of the child and follow the course of treatment prescribed by the doctor.

Treatment of laryngitis

What to do if your child’s throat is hoarse? First, you should explain to the sick person that he must rest his vocal cords. It is necessary to refrain from talking for 4-7 days until the vocal apparatus is completely restored. If there is a need to say something, it is better to speak quietly, but not in a whisper (when whispering, the vocal cords are even more tense than during a normal conversation).

It is recommended to exclude spices, spicy foods, pickles and other irritating foods from the patient’s diet. Drinks and food should be at a comfortable temperature - neither hot nor cold.

Despite discomfort when swallowing, a sick child should eat well to provide the body with the necessary vitamins and nutrients.

Warm drinks are especially useful - herbal teas with honey, non-acidic fruit drinks, heated milk, etc.

Treatment procedures recommended for laryngitis:

gargling with warm water with the addition of soda;
rinsing with decoctions of medicinal plants;
warm steam inhalations (with eucalyptus essential oil, soda, chamomile and other antiseptic substances);
dry heat - a compress on the neck, a warm scarf, etc.;
with severe symptoms of intoxication (high temperature, headache, etc.), antiviral drugs, as well as antipyretics, are required.

Among antipyretics, paracetamol and drugs based on it (for example, Panadol) are most suitable for children.

You should not lower the temperature if it does not reach 38 C.

Laryngitis usually responds well to treatment. If the recommendations are followed, the patient's condition improves significantly on the 4-5th day of illness, and by the 7th day there is a complete recovery.

Treatment

Any disease requires timely intervention. How to treat a hoarse cough in children? When a hoarse cough appears, a child may not only lose his voice, but also develop swelling in the mucous membrane, which can block the flow of air into the lungs . In this case, the main efforts should be aimed at relieving swelling and restoring normal breathing.

It is better to remove the child from this condition in a hospital setting to eliminate undesirable consequences. After improving the voice and removing the swelling, the disease itself is treated. If hoarseness is present

cough, hoarse voice, and general condition is unsatisfactory, treatment is supposed to be medicinal.

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Symptomatic therapy is mainly used - mucolytic and expectorant drugs that alleviate the general condition of the patient and promote the removal of sputum. Antibacterial drugs and antibiotics are prescribed in more complex cases in order to kill the infection and prevent relapse of the disease.

With a milder course of the disease and without fever, specific treatment is not required; the child can be helped with folk remedies.

Inhalations

Inhalation is an excellent method of transporting drugs to the mucous membranes of the respiratory system. The procedure is especially relevant for the treatment of cough:

mucous membranes are moisturized;
the removal of mucus and sputum improves;
when using medicinal components, the disease is treated;
the transition of the disease to a chronic form is prevented.

[veo >Wet (with a temperature of up to 30), warm-moist (with a temperature of 30–40), as well as steam procedures with a decoction of potatoes, linden blossom, chamomile and other substances with an antiseptic effect are recommended.

Instrumental inhalations using a nebulizer are especially useful. Due to the fact that the device sprays the drug to a fine dust state, significantly increasing the absorption of the drug, such procedures are indicated for many diseases of the respiratory tract, including hoarse cough.

The following factors may be contraindications to the procedure:

individual intolerance to certain drugs;
inability to adapt to the required breathing rhythm;
cardiopulmonary failure;
tendency to cerebrovascular accident;
previous strokes or micro-strokes;
hypertension grade 2–3.

Compresses

Traditional medicine has a wide variety of compresses and rubbing. They should be used only if the child does not have a fever.

Cabbage with honey. A leaf of fresh cabbage is smeared with honey and placed on the baby’s chest overnight. The child is wrapped warmly.
Cottage cheese. Wring out and warm to room temperature. It is laid out on gauze and then applied to the patient’s chest. The duration of the procedure is 40 – 50 minutes.
Onion. The onion is baked in the oven, after which it is crushed and mixed with vegetable or camphor oil, honey, dry mustard and flour. The mass is divided into two equal-sized cakes, which are applied to the back and chest. This treatment lasts 2 hours.

Wheezing in the throat when breathing

Wheezing in the throat when breathing appears with various diseases associated with the respiratory system. Typically, wheezing, whistling and other breathing noises occur when the lumen of the upper or lower respiratory tract narrows. Narrowing of the airway lumen is the result of mucus accumulation, bronchospasm, and swelling of the mucous membrane. In particular, wheezing during breathing is observed in diseases such as:

bronchial asthma;
whooping cough;
bronchitis;
pneumonia;
laryngitis;
respiratory allergic reaction.

To determine the causes of the disease, it is necessary to take into account the accompanying symptoms - the level of body temperature, the presence or absence of a runny nose, cough, as well as the conditions under which the child begins to wheeze.

In young children, sudden wheezing when breathing may indicate foreign bodies or large amounts of dust entering the respiratory tract.

If wheezing when breathing is accompanied by signs of suffocation, call an ambulance immediately. The child may have accidentally inhaled a small object or choked.

Causes and risk factors

To determine the source of a child’s hoarse cough, it is necessary to visit a doctor and do additional tests. You should not do home treatment using traditional methods. If a child wheezes and coughs, he should be urgently shown to an experienced specialist. Parents should also pay attention to telltale signs of coughing, such as frequency and volume. Then the doctor will be able to more accurately present the picture of the disease. A child's hoarse cough occurs when the bronchi are blocked by mucus. The child cannot cough up mucus, the bronchial mucosa swells, which leads to wheezing. This may be due to a common cold, or it may be a sign of more serious illnesses:

pneumonia;
tuberculosis;
lung cancer;
bronchitis;
asthma;
laryngitis;
tracheitis;
heart failure.

If a child coughs and wheezes, this indicates inflammation of the respiratory system. Wheezing can be either dry or wet. For example, bronchitis or bronchial asthma cause dry wheezing in the chest. If the cough occurs suddenly, this most likely indicates that a foreign object has entered the respiratory system. In such cases, you need to seek medical help as soon as possible.

Wheezing in the throat in infants

Wheezing without coughing in an infant may be associated with normal physiological processes, for example:

in newborns, the throat may wheeze for some time, since the cartilages of the larynx are not yet sufficiently developed and elastic;
at 4-5 months of life, the baby’s salivary glands begin to actively work, which is why he may cough and wheeze in his throat;
teething is accompanied by increased production of saliva, as well as swelling of the oropharynx, which often causes wheezing;
With prolonged screaming and crying, the baby's vocal cords become overstrained, as a result of which the voice may become hoarse for a while.

However, any disturbances in the infant’s respiratory system require increased parental attention.

Infants have narrow airways, which causes them to wheeze more often. For the same reason, infants have a much higher risk of suffocation due to laryngitis, whooping cough, and even sore throat.

Infants, just like adults, can suffer from laryngitis, bronchitis and other acute respiratory infections. In this case, the child has a wheezing throat, a rise in body temperature, and a wet cough.

Very often, inflammation of the larynx or lower respiratory tract in infants is accompanied by a runny nose with copious sputum production. In this case, it is necessary to clear the airways of mucus so that the child can breathe normally. To do this, it is recommended to drop drops based on sea water into the child’s nose - they dilute the mucus and promote its removal. “Aqualor Baby” and “Nazol Baby” are suitable for infants.

However, it is not always possible to restore nasal breathing with the help of water-salt drops. If a child’s nose is stuffy, vasoconstrictor drops will help - they relieve swelling of the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx, expanding the lumen of the nasal passages. Vasoconstrictor drops "Vibrocil" are allowed for infants.

To restore normal breathing, it is necessary to maintain optimal humidity and air temperature.

In hot, dry rooms, mucus in the respiratory tract dries out, forming crusts, causing the child's breathing to become noisy.

How is wheezing in the chest treated?

If a child develops a cough with hoarseness, you should make an appointment with a doctor and undergo a full examination. If this is not possible in the near future, parents should alleviate the child’s condition using the following means and actions:

Protect your child from stress and emotional stress.
Make sure your child breathes through his nose. When a child has a cough with wheezing, mouth breathing can cause complications.
Ventilate rooms frequently. Moist and fresh air alleviates the patient's condition.
Give a lot to drink. This will help remove toxins from the body and relieve symptoms.
Warming ointments. To ease a child’s cough with wheezing, it is recommended to rub the chest with special ointments with a warming effect.

If a child develops a hoarse cough (even without fever), you should definitely visit the hospital. This symptom may indicate serious health problems.

We recommend reading: How to treat a hoarse voice and runny nose in children?

Stridor in newborns and infants

Another reason why a child’s throat wheezes when breathing is stridor. Stridor is a pathological noisy breathing accompanied by wheezing or whistling. Stridor can be caused by anatomical disorders of various parts of the respiratory tract, primarily the larynx and epiglottis.

In most cases, stridor in children of the first year of life is associated with laryngomalacia—retraction of the epiglottis or arytenoid cartilages into the lumen of the larynx.

Laryngomalacia is a congenital pathology caused by insufficient hardness of cartilage tissue. Usually the disease manifests itself in the first week of life, but sometimes its first symptoms appear in children aged 1-2 months. A characteristic sign of laryngomalacia is increased wheezing in the supine position. Also, the child begins to wheeze during prolonged screaming and laughter, during active games. It is known that boys suffer from laryngomalacia 2-3 times more often than girls.

The prognosis for stridor due to laryngomalacia is favorable in most cases. Symptoms of the disease disappear by the age of 1.5-2 years due to the spontaneous compaction of cartilage tissue.

In rare cases, to restore normal functioning of the vocal apparatus, the child is recommended to undergo surgery (removal of sagging fragments of cartilage tissue using a laser).

Final Recommendations

In the vast majority of cases, hoarseness in a child appears as a result of cold laryngitis. However, parents should be careful - the disease that they mistook for laryngitis may turn out to be whooping cough, croup and other dangerous diseases.

In what cases should you call a doctor:

symptoms of the disease do not disappear for 10 days or more;
impurities of blood or pus are noticeable in the coughed up sputum;
there was a sharp acute pain in the throat;
symptoms of suffocation appeared;
you find a rash in the patient’s mouth or skin (a sign of measles, scarlet fever);
the child wakes up from bouts of severe coughing (typical of whooping cough, false croup);
body temperature exceeds 39 C.

Warm, moist air helps to quickly ease breathing and soften wheezing. Perform steam inhalation with mineral water, give the child warm tea.

To prevent inflammation of the larynx, avoid physical strain on the child’s vocal cords, breathing polluted air, and hypothermia.

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