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Abstract: A 12-year-old child presented to the clinic with his grandfather, complaining of recurrent cough and sore throat for the past 1 month or so, which had not improved with antibiotics taken at home on his own. After examination, the child’s cough was considered to be caused by exertion and excessive use of the voice. After 1 week, the child’s cough symptoms improved significantly and the sore throat improved.
Basic information】Female, 12 years old
Disease Type】Children’s cough
Hospital】Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital
Date of consultation】June 2020
Treatment plan】Throat care (drinking more warm water, gargling with light salt water, protecting the throat) + medication (Yinhuang tablets, Kaixianjian spray, Kexinli pharyngeal granules, Blue Scutellaria oral solution)
Treatment period】Review after 1 week of home treatment
Effectiveness】Cough symptoms improved significantly and sore throat symptoms improved
I. Initial consultation
The 12-year-old child and his grandfather came to the clinic. After asking about the cough, we learned that the child started to have frequent coughs in the past month or so, and the cough sounded superficial, mainly irritating dry cough. He was given antibiotics at home and did not improve significantly, so he came to the clinic. On examination, no rales were heard in both lungs, but the throat was red and swollen, and the tonsils were enlarged to the second degree, so the cough was considered to be caused by exertion and excessive use of the voice.
II. Treatment
For children with cough caused by fatigue and excessive use of the voice, the use of unnecessary antibiotics should be minimized. Therefore, instead of using oral antibiotics, the child was treated with local throat care, drinking more warm water or gargling with light salt water, and using Yinhuang tablets, Throat Sword Spray, as well as Ksenyi Pharyngeal Granules and Blue Scutellaria Oral Liquid. To protect your voice during treatment, it is recommended to suspend participation in hobby group activities, take more rest and talk less at home, and avoid frequent use of the voice. Eat a light and simple diet and avoid fried and spicy foods.
III. Treatment effect
After 1 week of standardized treatment and rest, the child’s coughing symptoms improved significantly and the sore throat disappeared, and when the child came to the clinic for follow-up 1 week later, the redness and swelling in the throat improved significantly and the tonsils shrank significantly. Based on the child’s recovery, it is considered that the diagnosis of cough in children is clear and the treatment is effective. It is recommended to maintain a period of life conditioning to consolidate the treatment effect.
IV. Notes
We are glad that the child’s cough symptoms have been relieved after treatment, but it is still important to pay attention to life conditioning after stopping the medication. The diet should be light and simple, avoiding greasy and spicy stimulating foods, such as spicy hotpot and spicy hotpot. If the disease recurs and the cough comes back, you need to consult a doctor promptly. Usually, you should drink more warm water. If you do not like to drink warm water, you can drink freshly squeezed juice in moderation and avoid shouting to protect your voice.
V. Personal insights
Coughs of different ages have their own characteristics. For example, coughs during infancy should be wary of inhalation choking, laryngeal cartilage dysplasia, infant pneumonia, infant whooping cough, etc. Coughs during early childhood should consider respiratory infections, foreign body swallowing, etc. Coughs with seasonal characteristics should consider allergic factors, such as allergic cough, bronchial asthma, cough variant asthma, etc. Coughing can also be caused by excessive use of the voice or exertion, so it is necessary to analyze each case specifically and not to blindly use antibiotics for treatment. In this case, the child’s cough was caused by exertion and inflammation of the tonsils. He should be more protected when he goes to the interest group subsequently, and if he speaks a lot, he can use silver yellow tablets or gargle with light salt water to prevent inflammation of the throat.