With young children, there is no winter that we do not go through a few colds at home. And if with our babies the worry increases considerably, as they grow we get used to differentiate the types of cough and to "keep calm" in the face of this process.
There are many doubts about whether certain drugs are effective in treating cough, and we also know that cough in children is a protective reflex: it constitutes a beneficial response of the body when there is an obstruction or an infection that affects the respiratory system, from the nose to the lungs
All this can cause us to pass the cough, or at most we go to remedies so that the throat does not suffer, and it is normal for the cough to remit over time and end up being removed. Recall that in children older than one year, honey can be beneficial in the case of dry cough from the onset of colds, but the pacifier should not get wet in it, nor forget the tooth washing.
However, there are times when we should worry. If the child has a cough, when should one go to the pediatrician?
- If the cough is accompanied by difficulty breathing, fatigue ...
- If when taking air when breathing we notice an acute and abnormal sound produced by the air flow (inspiratory stridor), especially if fatigue occurs or if we are talking about a baby. This condition, which is characterized by a strong and repetitive cough, may be a symptom of an obstruction.
- When there is suspicion that the child has aspirated a foreign body, since in this case there is also a dry cough and as a cough attack. We remind you at this point the advice on how to act if a child or a baby chokes.
- If the cough is persistent (more than three weeks). Usually a soft or productive cough (which expels phlegm) is short-lived and is associated with the "normal" colds of young children, a cough that contributes to healing. But if it lengthens in time, you have to take the child to the pediatrician.
- When the cough is accompanied by prolonged fever.
- If the cough in accesses with changes of color in the lips or face of the child (bluish or violet).
Finally, our common sense also has a lot to say in cases of children's cough, because many times gravity is obvious and it is not necessary to have a list of evidence of danger.
In short, although the cough is a symptom of the most frequent in children and is not usually harmful, as many different pathologies produce If we find any of the cases of previous cough, visit the pediatrician to make a correct diagnosis and, where appropriate, locate and treat a possible risk.
