Cough itself is not a kind of disease, but a self-defense response produced by the human body in order to protect the respiratory tract, and long-term repeated coughing will also have many effects. But there are many causes of cough, not only related to the respiratory system, but also may be closely related to diseases such as the entolaryngological digestive system. Therefore, for children's long-term cough, we must pay attention to it, because it may be caused by some diseases.
First, is cough a disease?
There are many people who think that the child's cough is sick, so they quickly prepared this punch, the oral liquid, and gave the child a pass, hoping that the child would recover sooner. As we all know, there are a large number of cilia on the human respiratory mucosa, which move with the peristalsis of the respiratory tract, constantly cleaning up viruses, foreign bodies and dust in the respiratory tract. When the body's trachea, mucous membranes in the bronchi or pleura are stimulated, the nerves in these areas will "light a beacon" and report information to the brain through nerve transmission. After receiving the "border pass emergency report", the brain will again "order" through the nerves, so that the human body can contract the respiratory muscles while the pressure in the lungs rises, and at the same time close the glottis and be ready to drive away the "enemy". Later, under the command of the brain, the human vocal gate will suddenly open, and the air flow in the lungs will suddenly open with the difference in the pressure inside and outside the lungs, resulting in a strong air flow, which will be violently ejected through the trachea to the mouth, and will enter the trachea or bronchi foreign body. Viruses and dust "deportation. "The whole process seems to be long, but it is actually just a cough of a person, and it takes only a few seconds. Therefore, cough is not actually a disease, but a defensive response caused by the stimulation of the body's trachea, the mucous membrane in the bronchi or the pleura. However, if the child coughs for a long time, it means that the child's respiratory system has a "border emergency", and the body's own defense response alone is no longer enough to solve the problem.
What does it mean to have a long-term cough?
A child's long-term cough is also called a chronic cough, and can be divided into specific cough and non-specific cough according to the specific type of attack. Among them, specific cough means that cough is not the only symptom that the child shows, but may also be accompanied by obvious complications such as sputum cough, thoracic abnormalities, cardiac abnormalities, and dysphagia, and the doctor can judge the specific cause of the child according to the complications. Non-specific cough means that cough is the only symptom of the child, so it is very easy to cause misjudgment in the doctor's diagnosis and treatment process, resulting in the child eating some "unjust medicine" that should not be eaten, and even caused the child to suffer from other diseases because of the wrong medication.
3. What diseases can cause children to cough for a long time?
In general, there are many kinds of diseases that cause children to cough for a long time, some diseases have other complications, and some diseases have only one symptom of coughing. Therefore, when the child has symptoms of long-term cough, do not worry, and do not give the child random medicine, but should take the child to the hospital in time to check, determine the cause of the child, and then carry out targeted treatment.
(1) Specific cough
This type of disease is accompanied by other complications along with a long-term cough in the child, and it is possible to make a clear judgment based on the type of complication in the child.
1. Gastroesophageal reflux syndrome
Gastroesophageal reflux generally occurs at night, when the child is sleeping after dinner and is lying flat, at this time the contents of the child's stomach are easy to regurgitate to the esophagus, thus causing the child to cough. In addition to coughing, children with this problem will be accompanied by acid reflux, vomiting, and heartburn. Indigestion and other symptoms. In the child's treatment process, it is first necessary to adjust the child's sleeping position to 30 degrees of prone lying to ensure that the child's stomach contents no longer regurgitate; secondly, it is necessary to pay attention to the child's dietary adjustment, using the child's easy to digest high-protein, low-fat paste-like food, thereby reducing the number of vomiting in the child; in terms of drugs, the combination of two types of drugs that inhibit gastric acid and restore gastrointestinal motility should be used, but the dosage should be adjusted according to the doctor's instructions.
2.Pneumonia branch infection
Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection is also a common condition in infants and young children, a contagious disease caused by infection with Mycoplasma pneumoniae. In addition to severe coughing, children with this disease will also have complications such as vomiting, facial puffiness, chest pain, abdominal pain and so on. In the treatment of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, the main treatment method is oral antibacterial drugs, such as clarithromycin, roxithromycin, etc. In addition, since Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection will be accompanied by a violent cough in the later stages of purulent sputum, it is also necessary to combine sputum with cough drugs.
3. Retronasal drip syndrome
The cause of retronasal drip syndrome is caused by secretions due to inflammation in the nasal cavity or sinus area that flow backwards into the mouth, glottis or trachea through the nasal cavity, in addition to causing the child's cough, it is accompanied by complications such as nasal congestion and dry throat, and some children also have headaches or low-grade fever reactions. Treatment of retronasal drip syndrome should first address inflammation of the nasal cavity or sinuses, while avoiding re-entry of secretions from the site of inflammation into the mouth, glottis, or trachea. In general, treatment can be completed with antibacterial drugs corresponding to inflammation, combined with corticosteroids or decongestants, anticholinergic drugs and other drugs.
4. Allergic rhinitis
Allergic rhinitis is a rhinitis caused by the body's allergic reactions caused by your child's exposure to allergens. Children with allergic rhinitis, in addition to long-term coughing, will also have symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, and nasal itching. Because each person's allergens are different, in order to treat allergic rhinitis, it is first necessary to determine the child's allergens and avoid re-contact; then use a combination of antileukotriene drugs and drugs such as glucocorticoids or decongestants to complete the treatment. Because the effect of antiallergic drugs on different patients may vary, long-term treatment should be prepared.
5. Chronic tonsillitis
Chronic tonsillitis is generally caused by a bacterial infection of the tonsils, and some acute infectious diseases or inflammation of the nasal cavity and sinuses can also cause chronic tonsillitis. In addition to triggering a long-term cough in your child, chronic tonsillitis can also cause symptoms such as sore throat, bad breath, headache, weakness of the limbs, or low-grade fever. For children with chronic tonsillitis, parents must strictly supervise so that children can maintain healthy living habits, brush their teeth before going to bed every day, rinse their mouth after meals, and participate in physical exercise; in addition, they can use iodine-containing tablets and take gargling methods for treatment; in addition, they can also be treated by taking vitamin C for a long time. In addition, surgery should be considered if your child has excessive hypertrophy of the tonsils, or if there are four to five acute episodes of tonsillitis in a year.
6. Children are young and ignorant, and their teeth are not well developed, which can easily lead to foreign bodies entering the trachea when grabbing food or chewing. When a foreign body first enters the throat, it can cause a severe choking cough, sometimes triggering symptoms such as breath holding, hoarseness, and difficulty breathing. When a foreign body enters the trachea or bronchi from the throat, it can cause irritation and inflammation, resulting in coughing and emphysema, at which point your child will have an increase in body temperature. When a foreign body enters the trachea or bronchi, the foreign body should be removed with a laryngoscope or bronchoscope as soon as possible; if it is difficult to remove the object with the lens, the chest should be removed in time. If the foreign body is already causing inflammation, it should be treated promptly with antibiotics.
(2) Non-specific cough
This kind of disease will only cause the child's long-term cough, and will not cause other symptoms, so it is easy to cause the doctor to make mistakes in the judgment process of the disease, affecting the child's treatment.
1. Allergic cough
Allergic cough is a disease caused by the child's contact with the allergen, the main symptom is a persistent and repetitive cough for more than a month, if not treated in time, it may change to cough variant asthma or typical asthma, resulting in more difficult to cure. For the treatment of allergic cough, anti-allergic treatment is generally the mainstay, and inhaled glucocorticoids can be used for treatment. To prevent the recurrence of allergic cough, the duration of inhaled glucocorticoid treatment is best maintained at more than 3 months. In addition, it can be treated with a mixture of beta-2 stimulants and hormones.
2. Cough variant asthma
Cough variant asthma is an asthma that is triggered by a child coughing for a long time. Unlike other asthmas, the main symptoms of cough variant asthma are only long-term cough, unlike general asthma, which can cause chest tightness, shortness of breath, wheezing and so on. Therefore, cough variant asthma is often prone to misjudgment and misdiagnosis by doctors. The pathogenesis of cough variant asthma is generally caused by allergic reactions caused by the child's contact with certain allergens, and if the child's family members have allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma and other diseases, it may also cause the child to cough for a long time, which will become variable asthma. However, cough variant asthma is relatively mild in the large category of asthma, and as long as it is treated in time, it is easy to heal. In the treatment of cough variant asthma, it can be combined with inhaled glucocorticoids, supplemented by drugs such as leukotriene modulators and cosulfones. If cough variant asthma is not treated in a timely and effective manner, it may lead to worsening of the disease and eventually becoming a typical asthma that is more difficult to cure. Therefore, if you find that your child has a long-term cough, you need to take your child to the hospital for diagnosis quickly to avoid missing the best time for treatment.
3. Eosinophilic bronchitis
Eosinophilic bronchitis is also an important cause of chronic cough, which is mainly caused by inhaled allergens or some chemicals. In addition to allergens, common pathogenic factors in life are: formaldehyde that has not been discharged from house decoration, chloramine for tap water disinfection, busilamine for anti-inflammatory and analgesic, acrylates in new waterproof materials, and flue gas that appears during metal welding. The main symptom of eosinophilic bronchitis is only a prolonged cough, and no other obvious symptoms appear. In the treatment of eosinophilic bronchitis, glucocorticoids also have a good role, and can be effectively treated by inhalation or oral administration.
4. Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy, also known as cerebral dysplasia, usually occurs before the birth of a child or the full moon. Because the child's brain is damaged, the brain has an abnormal condition when regulating the child's swallowing reflex and cough reflex, which leads to the child's cough or aspiration when eating and drinking, resulting in a long-term cough. Cough caused by cerebral palsy is the most likely to cause doctors to misdiagnose, but also the most difficult to diagnose in the early stage, because many parents will only take their children to the hospital when the child is at the corresponding age but it is difficult to achieve basic actions such as sitting and walking, and it is not known that the child's long-term cough is also caused by brain damage. There is no special treatment for cerebral palsy, generally only through the response to the child's current symptoms, and the child's intelligence, psychological education training, unless it is due to the child's cerebral palsy caused by epilepsy diseases need to be controlled by drugs, other times there is no specific drug can be used for treatment. If the child has symptoms such as limb deformities and hand spasms due to cerebral palsy, it is necessary to arrange surgery in time after the child is 5 years old.
5. Parasitic diseases of the lungs
If the child has a cough for a long time, but it is not one of the above diseases, then parents should be careful that the child has a parasitic lung disease. There are many kinds of parasites that parasitize the human lungs, and the treatment varies with the type of parasite, but parasitic diseases of the lungs can cause a long-term cough in children. Generally in the treatment process, the doctor needs to judge the possibility of contact with parasites through some behaviors of the child in daily life, and then check the child's sputum through serum immunology experiments to determine the type of parasite in the lungs and carry out targeted treatment. Taking lung flukes as an example, the cause of lung trematodiasis is the use of unripe crabs with lung flucoccosis or pork, chicken, duck meat, etc., after the doctor successfully diagnosed with lung fluke disease, it is necessary to treat lung fluke disease by using praziquantel. Therefore, if the child has the possibility of developing parasitic diseases of the lungs, parents need to cooperate with the doctor to determine what the child is exposed to before the onset of the disease, so as to help the doctor determine the type of parasite and achieve effective treatment.
IV. Concluding Remarks
In short, the child's cough seems to be a very small problem, but behind the small cough may be hidden the existence of a variety of diseases, so when parents find that the child has a long-term cough, they should take the child to the hospital in time for diagnosis and treatment, determine the cause of the child's long-term cough, so as to carry out symptomatic treatment. As a parent, you should usually pay attention to the care and guidance of your child, avoid your child's exposure to pathogens, cultivate your child's good habits in daily life, maintain hygiene, exercise, strengthen the immunity of your child's body, and avoid the impact of diseases on your child.