Long cough at the child is always symptom of any disease affecting any given departments of a respiratory system. This symptom has to cause special concerns if it is observed only at night.
Features of developing of night cough
Most often cough arises at a congestion in bronchial tubes or the upper airways of a large number of a phlegm at night. When the body holds horizontal position, bodies and fabrics begin to be supplied with blood in the slowed-down mode. It leads to their relaxation, and the phlegm is released quicker, than usually, rising to a mucous membrane of a throat.
At children this process proceeds in even more accelerated mode because of the small size of bodies and small length of a throat. Usually it is only enough to them to reach a prone position as intolerable fits of coughing begin. In certain cases, when there is no phlegm, there is dry cough. Its emergence can be caused by pressure upon a throat, angry owing to the available disease, amplifying in lying situation.
Causes of night cough
What provokes appearance of cough at children at night? Usually lead the following phenomena to it:
- diseases of bacterial and virus origin (ORZ, measles, pharyngitis, bronchitis, whooping cough, sinusitis and others);
- bronchial asthma;
- reflux (throwing contents of a stomach in a gullet);
- allergic reactions;
- diseases of a cardiovascular system;
- inflammation of adenoides;
- the increased salivation (at a teething at small children);
- existence in an organism of helminths (hookworms, ascarids and others).
In certain cases night cough arises not against the background of diseases, and has other origin. Here the following cases belong:
- the strong nervous shock which is recently endured by the child;
- too dry or dusty air indoors;
- availability of hazardous substances in air;
- hit of foreign objects in the upper airways.
The most often ongoing night cough is a complication not cured until the end of catarrhal diseases. For this reason at emergence of any problems with health at the child it is necessary to show it to the doctor and to undergo specialized treatment. As the separate phenomenon, cough is treated by intake of mukoltichesky medicines and passing of special procedures.
Diagnosis of cough
For identification of the reason and characteristics of cough it is necessary to visit the pediatrician. The doctor listens to a thorax of the child a phonendoscope, defining existence of a phlegm in bronchial tubes. If cough dry, is made inspection of a nasopharynx for identification of the inflamed sites. In the absence of an opportunity to learn the exact reason of a symptom the child can be in addition directed to the allergist, the otolaryngologist or the pulmonologist.
In special cases the inspection at the parasitologist-infectiologist can be required if there is a suspicion of infection with parasites. Ascarids, lyambliya and other microorganisms are capable to migrate on a blood system, getting into lungs and a trachea, as becomes the cause of night cough. Besides, parasites emit toxins in a small intestine that causes negative reaction in all organism, in that number and a respiratory system.
If night cough is followed by an otkhozhdeniye of a small amount of a transparent phlegm or just saliva, there is a sense to be checked at the gastroenterologist. The increased acidity of a stomach and the general violation of digestion lead to emergence of an unpleasant lump in a throat, and there is frequent desire to cough up it. The similar feeling amplifies in lying situation and for this reason the child can intensively cough.
Treatment of night cough
After diagnosis the administration of drugs directed to elimination of the main disease causing cough is appointed. For breath and removal of desires to cough mukoltichesky medicines register (to children they are usually appointed in the form of syrups or lollipops). Besides, for full treatment it is necessary to resort to additional techniques. If cough in night-time arises against the background of catarrhal diseases, it is important to provide a full-fledged otkhozhdeniye of a phlegm by warming up of the upper airways of the child.
One of the easiest ways of warming up consists in reception of the warm drink warming and softening respiratory organs. It can be usual tea or milk with addition of a piece of butter or honey. Good expectorant effect camomile decoctions, a sage and a thyme have.
It is not recommended to give to the child tea with addition of a lemon and also to allow the use others of a citrus and chocolate. These products irritate a mucous membrane of a throat and only strengthen cough. And that the effect of drink was even more noticeable, the neck and a breast of the child is recommended to be snatched a scarf or a scarf.
If fits of coughing arise very often and differ in noticeable intensity, inhalations which need to be carried out in 2-3 hours prior to a dream well help. For this purpose pharmaceutical inhalers with addition of special essential oils and herbs will approach. The checked folk remedy - to breathe the ferry over a pan with the cooked potatoes (from above the child is in addition covered with a blanket).
Against the background of bronchitis and other inflammatory diseases of a respiratory system mustard plasters and also grindings of a thorax are applied by badger fat or alcohol to treatment of severe night cough. If cough is dry, warm drink should be added with rinsings of a throat solutions on the basis of a camomile and a calendula.
Besides application of the main ways of treatment it is important to pay attention to conditions of a dream of the child. Approximately for an hour before withdrawal in a bed it is necessary to air the room. The room always has to be in a full order: 1-2 times a week in it are made damp cleaning with full elimination of dust. It is also necessary to make sure that the child does not contact to objects, and just to irritate with the substances and products capable to cause allergies a respiratory system. It is very important to adjust a diet and not to allow consumption of food by the child in 3-4 hours prior to a dream.
Possible complications
If to disregard cough, it can cause many negative consequences:
- The constant and severe cough interrupts a sleep at night, leads to frequent insomnias and a sleep debt against the background of what the activity of the child decreases, and his organism becomes more susceptible to various diseases.
- There is an unpleasant osiplost of a voice, it becomes difficult to child to speak loudly and distinctly.
- The insufficient otkhozhdeniye of a phlegm and its accumulation can lead to pneumonia – pneumonia. Also it becomes the cause of chronic bronchitis, development of acute virus inflammations in the upper airways.
- Continuous interaction with allergens can cause anaphylactic shock – dangerous reaction in an organism which is capable to lead to a stop of work of respiratory organs and other vital systems.
- Long damp or dry cough (including because of strong dust content of the room or presence at air of hazardous substances) is capable to develop into bronchial asthma.
In order to avoid complications it is extremely important to apply only those medicines and procedures which will be recommended by the doctor to treatment of cough. The special attention is required by situations when cough is followed by severe short wind and high temperature, together with it the phlegm of brown green color or with blood impurity departs. All this demands the immediate address to the doctor (at night it is necessary to call the ambulance for urgent hospitalization of the child).