Cough in a child - 2 years

The organism of the little man at the age of 2 is still very fragile, but he already knows how to defend himself against a variety of dangers: from hypothermia and overheating, from viruses and germs. One form of protection is cough. It is during the coughing that the airways are released from the microbes and the sputum accumulated in them. At the same time, a child's cough in 2 years is a symptom of many diseases of the respiratory tract (bronchi, trachea, lungs), and parents and pediatricians should be able to determine the type of cough, its features, and also the specificity of getting rid of it.

Cough in 2 year old child and its types

Cough can be:

• wet (productive), that is, one that ends with the separation and emergence of sputum (seizures occur when a certain amount of sputum accumulates, which is very characteristic for bronchitis);
• dry (unproductive), not accompanied by the separation and release of mucus, usually obtrusive, painful (which is typical for tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, laryngitis);
• prolonged, lasting more than 14 days (such attacks occur during recovery, being associated not with the presence of inflammation, but with the fact that excessive amounts of mucus are produced, there is an excessive sensitivity of cough receptors).

A dry cough in a child of 2 years can be a very dangerous sign, as is characteristic of croup . If a child is 2 years old and a strong cough begins at night against a background of general health, accompanied by barking sounds, lack of air, it is necessary to call a doctor urgently. Such attacks are very dangerous for life crumbs.

How to treat a child cough in 2 years?

If a child undergoes a cough at 2 years, the treatment should be prescribed exclusively by a doctor, because the baby is very small, and any pathological processes in his body can develop at lightning speed. In addition, the specificity of treatment always depends on the cause of the symptom, and it can only be determined by a specialist.

In attempts to get rid of coughing, it is worth remembering that this is a useful reflex that can not be suppressed. It allows the body to recover faster, acting on the same principle as an increase in body temperature. After all, everyone knows that you can not bring down the temperature until it reaches a certain limit. It also happens with coughing: if it is not dangerous to health, does not cause suffocation or vomiting, then it should not be actively combated.

The correctness of treatment depends on whether the cause of the cough reflex is so accurately determined. It can be ARI, bronchitis, tracheitis, laryngitis, pneumonia, not including such serious causes as, for example, tuberculosis. You must remember 3 treatment rules:

1. Creation of favorable conditions for the baby (elimination of excessive noise, bright light and other external stimuli for the child to be at peace and comfort).
2. Proper nutrition (that is including in the diet as much as possible fruits, vegetables, natural products).
3. A plentiful warm drink (liquid in large quantities helps to protect the body from overheating, dehydration, and also promotes the excretion of sputum from the upper respiratory tract).

It is also important to follow all the doctor's prescriptions, but without the need to not take antitussive drugs. On the contrary, it is necessary to drink expectorant syrups, do inhalations that will provoke a cough, thereby protecting the child. The agent for treatment and its dosage, duration and specificity of reception should be chosen by the pediatrician taking into account age, weight, the cause of the disease.