A. What you should know about cough
1. Coughing is part of the “cold”;
2. The phlegm that accompanies a cough is important, as this process protects the lungs and reduces the probability of pneumonia;
3. Coughing is a good thing, it is a “defensive” action of the body! Coughing is a good thing, it is a “defensive” action of the body! As a doctor, you don’t want your child to not cough at all.
Home cough medicines.
Goal: To reduce irritation of the throat, which leads to a dry cough.
Infants from 3 months to 1 year: Give warm juices to treat the cough symptomatically. For example: apple juice with lemon juice. It can be given 5-15 ml at a time and can be given 4 times a day. Note: Honey and honey water are forbidden for babies under 1 year old.
For babies over 1 year old: 2-5 ml of honey can be used as a home cough suppressant. Honey can reduce sputum production & relieve cough frequency. If honey is not available, corn syrup can be used instead.
Children over 6 years of age: Take an oral cough suppressant to relieve throat irritation. If cough suppressants are not available at the moment, hard candy can be used instead.
C. Over-the-counter cough suppressants
Over-the-counter cough suppressants are not recommended.
Reason: There is no evidence that cough suppressants are beneficial for children with cough, and there are still no studies in children under 4 years of age. Honey has been shown to be more beneficial than cough suppressants. (Note: Honey is contraindicated in infants under 1 year of age)
For children over 4 years of age, if you decide to choose a cough suppressant, choose the single-ingredient “dextromethorphan”, available in pharmaceutical form as drops; dose of dextromethorphan: every 6 to 8 hours.
When to use cough suppressants: Cough suppressants are recommended when coughing seriously interferes with your child’s sleep and school.
IV. Coughing episodes and persistent cough
Breathe a warm water mist (e.g., from a hot shower head in a closed bathroom).
Give your child warm fruit juices, such as apple and lemon juice.
Juice is not suitable for babies under 3 months of age.
Babies 3-12 months: give 30ml of juice at a time, up to 4 times a day.
Babies over 1 year: Give juice as often as needed.
Reason: It relaxes the airway and dilutes the phlegm.
V. Vomiting due to cough.
For vomiting caused by severe cough, reduce the amount of each feeding but increase the frequency of feeding.
For infants, do not exceed 60ml of milk per feeding.
Reason: Most of the vomiting caused by coughing is due to excessive stomach contents.
VI. Encourage drinking water
Try to encourage your child to drink more juice or boiled water.
Goal: Ensure the child has enough water.
Reason: To dilute the phlegm and make it easier to cough it up and also make the nasal discharge easier.
VII. Air humidifier
If the air in your home is dry, consider using a humidifier.
Reason: Dry air causes coughing to worsen.
VIII. Fever-reducing drugs
For body temperature above 39.0°C, use acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol); or use ibuprofen (e.g. Merlin). (Parents should be aware if their child has a history of convulsions, otherwise this article does not apply!!!)
Note: A body temperature below 39.0 degrees is an important response of the body to fight infection!
IX. Avoid second-hand smoke
Second-hand smoke aggravates coughing.
X. Return to school
Once the fever is completely gone, the child will be able to return to school.
If the child feels well, he/she can participate in ordinary activities.
In fact, coughs and colds cannot be prevented.
Additional advice – anti-allergy medication for allergic cough
Allergy medication can control an allergic cough within one hour and, in the same way, can significantly improve allergic rhinitis.
Short-acting anti-allergy medications are helpful, such as diphenhydramine.
It is given every 6 hours to 8 hours until the cough disappears.
XII. Healing
Viral bronchitis will cause cough symptoms for 2 to 3 weeks. Sometimes, the child may cough up a lot of sputum. Usually the sputum is gray, yellow or green. Antibiotics will not help the cough!
XIII. Seeking medical attention
Difficulty breathing, significantly faster breathing.
Asthma attacks.
Cough for more than 3 weeks.
You think your child must seek medical attention.
The child’s general condition gets worse.