What are the main principles for treating cough in children?

The principle of treating children's cough is to identify the cause and treat the symptoms. Before treatment, parents need to observe the nature of the cough and the accompanying symptoms, and seek help from a doctor to identify the cause if necessary. For different types of coughs, a variety of methods such as medication, daily care or special therapies can be used for comprehensive treatment.

1. Identify the cause of cough

Coughing is essentially a protective mechanism of the human body, and its possible causes include infection, allergies, foreign objects in the airways or other diseases.

-Infection: If the cough is accompanied by fever and sputum, viral infection (such as the common cold) or bacterial infection (such as pneumonia) should be considered. Viral infections usually only require symptomatic treatment, while bacterial infections may require antibiotic treatment (such as amoxicillin, cefuroxime or azithromycin).

-Allergy: Dry cough accompanied by asthma or urticaria indicates possible allergy. Allergens should be avoided, and antihistamines (such as loratadine) or inhaled hormones (such as budesonide) should be selected according to the situation.

-Foreign body in the airway: If sudden and persistent choking and coughing occurs, be alert to foreign body obstruction in the airway and seek medical attention immediately. If necessary, remove it through bronchoscopy.

2. Medication should be used with caution

Children have limited ability to metabolize drugs, so it is important to use drugs with caution after a clear diagnosis. Some common treatment options are as follows:

- Cough suppressants: Use strong cough suppressants (such as codeine) with caution to avoid suppressing the normal cough function. For mild coughs, use acetylcysteine ​​in moderation to reduce phlegm.

-Chinese patent medicine: such as Chuanbei loquat paste is suitable for mild dry cough, but allergy history needs to be checked.

-Bronchodilators: For allergic coughs, such as those caused by asthma, salbutamol inhalers can be used.

3. Daily care helps recovery

Home care is key to the recovery of children's cough and can relieve mild symptoms or serve as a supplement to drug treatment.

-Keep moisturized: Use a humidifier or hot water steam to relieve dry throat and reduce irritating coughs.

-Diet adjustment: Drink more warm water, eat vitamin-rich fruits (such as oranges and apples) to enhance immunity, and avoid cold drinks or irritating foods.

-Avoid triggers: Minimize exposure to cold air, secondhand smoke, pet hair and other stimuli.

4. Special circumstances and indications for medical treatment

If the cough persists for more than two weeks, seriously affects sleep at night, and is accompanied by obvious breathing difficulties, high fever or coughing up blood, you should seek medical attention immediately to prevent missing major diseases such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, etc.

The treatment of children's cough requires comprehensive consideration of the cause, symptoms and living environment. In most cases, it can be gradually relieved through scientific care and targeted treatment. If the cough is not cured for a long time, it is recommended that parents take their children to the hospital for a comprehensive examination as soon as possible and further treat according to the doctor's advice.