What we usually call cold is actually medically known as acute upper respiratory tract infection, which is a generic term for the most common type of pediatric diseases, including acute rhinopharyngitis, acute pharyngitis, acute tonsillitis, and so on. Colds are mainly caused by viral or bacterial infections, but viruses account for the absolute majority (about 90% or more), and viral infections can often be followed by bacterial infections, most commonly Streptococcus hemolyticus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, etc. Infants are already susceptible to colds due to the anatomical and immunological characteristics of the upper respiratory tract, and children with calcium, iron, zinc and other micronutrient deficiencies are more likely to develop them more frequently.
Summer is a high season for colds and flu, mainly because as the temperature rises, the reproduction and activities of various viruses and bacteria also flourish. From the perspective of Chinese medicine, summer colds are classified as heat and humidity colds, commonly known as heat stroke. The summer cold is caused by the heat and humidity in summer, and the cold is caused by the wind and cold when you get cold, such as blowing on the air conditioner. Although the symptoms of summer colds are similar to those of spring, autumn and winter colds, there are certain differences in the treatment, so parents should be aware of them to avoid unnecessary visits to the doctor (which can increase the chance of cross-infection) or aggravation of the disease by wrong treatment.
I. Symptoms of summer colds
The main and most common symptom of summer cold is fever, which is usually acute and high, and is not accompanied by chills and chills, sweating but not fever. The course of the disease is about 3 to 5 days, and is often accompanied by reduced appetite, mental discomfort and so on.
Other symptoms vary in severity and are related to age, etiology and body resistance. Infants often have cough, nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, loss of appetite, and may be accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, irritability and even febrile convulsions; older children have relatively mild symptoms and more complaints of sore throat, etc. Some children may have paroxysmal periumbilical pain early in the onset, which is related to fever-induced paroxysmal intestinal spasm or mesenteric lymphadenitis.
Second, how to treat summer colds?
For most summer colds, it is not necessary to go to the hospital, but can be treated at home. It is common for children to have recurrent fever, loss of appetite or depression during the course of the illness, so they do not need special treatment except for timely reduction of fever, and they should not be fed extra food to enhance nutrition. However, if the fever persists for more than 3 days, or if the fever is interrupted by depression, refusal to eat or severe coughing or even coughing up yellow sputum, and other serious symptoms, you should seek medical attention promptly.
The treatment of summer colds can be divided into three parts.
① General treatment refers to assisting the baby’s recovery by regulating the daily diet and rest.
②Etiological treatment refers to medication against virus or bacteria, which needs to be carried out under the guidance of professional doctors and cannot be self-medicated.
③And the most important thing is symptomatic treatment for fever, nasal congestion and other symptoms, such as fever reduction, which parents must master.
1.General treatment
a. Maintain adequate sleep, pay attention to hydration and nutrition, but should not eat too much greasy or indigestible food, and do not add new supplementary food to prevent aggravating the intestinal burden leading to diarrhea.
b. Temporarily stop feeding calcium and cod liver oil during fever, and suspend adding new complementary foods.
c. Isolate from the surrounding patients with respiratory diseases and keep indoor ventilation to prevent cross-infection.
2. Etiological treatment
a. Anti-viral medication can be given appropriately.
b. Antibiotics can be used for 3 to 5 days if there is a basis for concurrent or secondary bacterial infection (here, it should be noted that the basis for bacterial infection is usually hospital blood tests suggesting elevated white blood cells or neutrophils or symptoms such as chills before fever and flowing yellow pus and mucus).
3.Symptomatic treatment
Symptomatic treatment includes fever reduction, nasal congestion and runny nose can be appropriately “cold medicine” (Ai Chang, Chen Gong Zaixin) or nasal wash with saline to relieve discomfort, and the main thing is to reduce fever. Because the heat dissipation ability of children, especially infants, is much worse than that of adults, and high fever can easily lead to serious consequences such as convulsions, so timely and rapid fever reduction is particularly important.
For summer colds, the effect of antipyretic medicine alone is often not ideal because of the heavy humidity, so the following points should be noted.
a. Keep the air circulating in the room, loosen the wrapping and clothing (especially the neck).
Do not “cover sweat” when you have a fever, because the ability to regulate body temperature in children is still immature, and the body surface area is relatively large, the majority of heat dissipation to rely on the body surface heat. Therefore, once the whole body is wrapped with clothes or bedding, the child will not be able to dissipate heat in time and the body temperature will not be able to fall, resulting in super high fever of >41℃ and even irreversible circulatory and neurological damage (muffled fever syndrome).
b. Warm water bath (or warm bath) or alcohol (diluted to 50%) bath.
This is the safest, most effective and practical method of reducing fever and can be used repeatedly for a short period of time or in conjunction with other methods of fever reduction. The warm water bath is suitable for all ages; the alcohol bath is more suitable for children over 2 years old. The areas to be rubbed are mainly the locations of each large blood vessel closest to the body surface: neck, torso, groin, armpits, elbows, popliteal fossa (behind the knees), etc.
c. Take antipyretic medication
It should be noted that antipyretic drugs refer to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen (Merlin), acetaminophen (Tylenol), and not many drugs with antipyretic but not anti-inflammatory ingredients in their names (such drugs are mostly proprietary Chinese medicines or cold medicines), and it should be noted that the interval between the use of the same drug is generally 4-6 hours and should not be used more than 4 times a day, while the interval between the alternate use of two drugs can be shortened to 2 hours and reduce side effects The interval between the use of two drugs can be shortened to 2 hours and reduce side effects.
d. Know the warning signs of high fever
It should be noted that some children may have cold hands and feet or even shivering before the onset of fever, which is due to poor circulation at the ends of the extremities and generally indicates an imminent high fever. This is due to poor circulation at the ends of the extremities, which generally indicates an imminent high fever. At this time, it is more important to loosen clothing in time to dissipate heat, and cold parts such as hands and feet can be wiped with warm water or hot compresses to facilitate circulation recovery.
Third, how to prevent summer colds
Rather than treating the disease, it is better to prevent it from happening in the first place, in the prevention of summer colds, should pay attention to the following points: 1.
1, active exercise: strengthen physical exercise, appropriate to increase outdoor activities and sports and ensure adequate sleep, in order to enhance the body’s immunity.
2, prevention and control of predisposing factors.
a. Develop good hygiene habits and pay attention to the cleanliness of the environment, especially in summer when there are many mosquitoes and insects breeding.
b. Keep the indoor temperature constant, do not let the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor is too large, and do not let the cold air of the air conditioner blow directly to the baby, especially the belly button and the soles of the feet.
c. Avoid wearing too much or too little clothing, and pay attention to the appropriate increase or decrease of clothing when the temperature changes suddenly.
d. Promote breastfeeding (6-8 months), balanced diet, prevention of malnutrition and various micronutrient deficiencies.
3. Avoid cross-infection: avoid contact with other patients at home; avoid consuming breast milk of mothers with infectious diseases; avoid going to crowded public places, etc.