What should I do if my child has a persistent cough? If you understand this, you will no longer be anxious.

Summer has passed quietly like this. After the beginning of autumn, another season of testing the baby\’s respiratory tract has arrived. Listening to the cough of the baby, parents must be very anxious. Today, let us follow Parkway Medical’s pediatric experts to learn about children’s cough. Causes of Cough Cough is a common respiratory symptom that helps clear the upper respiratory tract of secretions, irritants, foreign particles and microorganisms. The irritant stimulates the nerves that send messages to the brain, which then signals the chest and abdominal muscles to push air out of the lungs and push the irritant away. We divide the causes of cough into three main categories: acute cough, chronic cough and other causes. Acute cough 1. Common cold 2. Influenza 3. Inhalation of irritants 4. Pneumonia 5. Whooping cough Chronic cough 1. Allergy 2. Asthma (most common in children) 3. Bronchitis 4. Gastroesophageal reflux disease 5. Postnasal cough Infusion others 1. Sinusitis 2. Bronchiectasis 3. Bronchiolitis (especially in young children) 4. Asphyxia: first aid (especially in children) 5. Croup (especially in young children) 6. Cystic fibrosis 7. Tuberculosis 8 , emphysema 9, heart disease (heart failure/congenital heart disease) Occasional coughing is normal and beneficial to health. Once the cough lasts for several weeks, or the coughed up mucus changes color or is bloody, you may need to take your child with you. Seek medical attention. A cough is considered \”acute\” if it lasts less than three weeks, and \”chronic\” if it lasts more than eight weeks (four weeks in children). How to treat a cough Complications caused by a cough may be insomnia, vomiting, fecal incontinence, urinary incontinence, subconjunctival hemorrhage or \”red eye\”, hernia, etc. What parents are most concerned about is how to treat their children? Generally, coughs can be treated in two ways: medications and home remedies. Medication Oral, over-the-counter (OTC) cold and cough medicines can cause serious harm to young children, and the risks of taking the medications far outweigh their ability to reduce cold symptoms. Children aged 4 to 6 years old should follow their doctor\’s advice when taking cough medicine. Children over 6 years old are safe to take cough medicine, but they must take the correct dosage according to the instructions on the package. Young children are lucky if they recover from colds and coughs without medication. Home Remedies for a Runny Nose: Use a tool like a nasal rinse ball to suck the mucus out of your child\’s nose or have your child blow their nose. When your child\’s nose feels like an open faucet, the virus is flowing out of the body. Antihistamines (such as cetirizine) do not relieve runny noses caused by colds, but they can relieve runny noses caused by allergies (also called hay fever). If you have a stuffy nose: Use saline nasal spray or drops to soften dry nasal mucus, then have your child blow their nose or use a nasal rinse ball to suck the mucus out of their nose. If you don\’t have nasal spray or drops, warm water will work just as well. Apply 2 to 3 drops to each nostril, one side at a time, then suck out the liquid or have your child blow their nose. Teenagers can pour warm water into their noses and continue washing their noses until clear fluid comes out of their noses. If your child cannot breathe through his nose, clean it. For bottles or breastfed babies, use nose drops before feeding.You can buy saline nasal drops and nasal spray at a pharmacy without a prescription. To make your own, add 2 ml of table salt to 240 ml of warm tap water. Doctors advise: Supplement water. When a child over 6 months old develops a cough, drink 5 to 15 ml of transparent liquid (such as warm water) 4 times a day. Try to make sure your child drinks plenty of water or other fluids. When the body is well hydrated, the mucus the body produces becomes thinner, making coughing and runny noses easier. Honey can cause botulism in infants, so do not feed it. If your child is less than 6 months old, please consult your primary care physician. Maintain air humidity If the air in your home is dry, use a humidifier. The moist air will prevent mucus in the nasal cavity from drying out and keep the airways moist. Turning on a warm shower for a period of time can also help increase air humidity. Don’t treat yourself as soon as you get sick! If cold symptoms don\’t bother your child much, no medications or home remedies are needed. Many children are happy, playing well, and sleeping soundly despite having a cough or stuffy nose. Treatment is only needed if your child is unwell, has trouble sleeping, or has a cough that won\’t stop (such as a dry cough). When to seek medical attention for a cough? Consult your pediatrician if your child has a persistent cough that does not stop after 7-10 days, or if your child is: Coughing up thick, yellow-green phlegm Asthma Fever > 38°C (100F) Breathing Seek emergency care if you have: Choking Trouble breathing, wheezing, or swallowing Coughing up bloody or pinkish phlegm Write at the end: If coughs and colds need treatment, home remedies may be more effective than medications.