Traditional medicine

Causes and treatment of barking cough in adults. Barking cough in a child without fever: features of treatment, what to do with a dry cough, inhalation A child has a rough barking cough

Barking cough– a dry cough that appears sharply and resembles the sound of barking. Hence its name. If such a symptom appears, then it is guaranteed to indicate that the inflammatory process is localized directly next to the person’s glottis. A dry barking cough is more often observed in a child, but it is possible that it may also appear in an adult.

Most often, the role of the causal factor is true or false croup, and others. If a child has a barking cough without fever, he should be immediately taken to medical institution. The danger of this condition is that if such a cough appears, that is, high risk development of laryngeal edema with subsequent suffocation of the patient, since air will not be able to penetrate through the airways.

A barking cough in adults is also a serious reason to contact a specialist. Most likely, a person has a progressive viral infection in the area vocal cords. Of course, in adults this disease is much milder than in small children, but this does not mean that it does not require treatment. There is a high probability of developing laryngeal edema, which will lead to the death of the patient, if assistance is not provided to the patient in a timely manner.

It is important to understand that barking cough is not an independent nosological unit, but a symptom that indicates the progression of any pathologies in the human body. And these are the ones that should be identified and carried out in a timely manner. full treatment. Usually, if a barking dry cough occurs, the patient’s treatment plan includes the following medications: antibacterials, mucolytics, expectorants.

Etiological factors

In most clinical situations, the root cause of a barking cough is various infectious diseases or allergic reactions for medications, food products and so on. Pathologies that can provoke the appearance of such a symptom include the following:

whooping cough;
laryngitis;
pharyngitis;
true croup;
false croup;
acute stenotic. Most often, this particular pathology is accompanied by a strong barking cough, as there is swelling of the larynx and vocal cords;
flu;
parainfluenza and so on.

Symptoms

It is not at all difficult to distinguish a barking cough from other types. Once it appears, it will resemble a dog barking. It is important to say that the earlier treatment is started, the better the prognosis.

The cough becomes barking, as in the larynx from a strong inflammatory process swelling progresses, which invariably leads to a narrowing of the lumen of this body. The patient's voice becomes hoarse, and he himself for a long time cannot clear his throat. If he succeeds, then a meager amount of sputum is released. A barking cough is quite painful and debilitating, so a person experiences constant weakness, is in a depressed state.

Symptoms accompanying a barking cough:

nausea and vomiting;
runny nose with discharge clear mucus from the nasal passages;
headache varying degrees intensity;
sore throat;
difficulty breathing due to narrowing of the glottis;
in sizes.

Symptoms, if they occur, you should immediately call an ambulance rather than try to treat the patient yourself:

incessant barking cough;
wheezing;
pale skin;
At the same time as coughing, attacks of suffocation appear.

Therapeutic measures

In case of manifestation of this type cough, you should not try to treat it yourself. You should immediately contact a medical facility for a full diagnosis. Only a doctor will be able to say what triggered its appearance and prescribe the correct treatment.

The drugs of choice in case of a barking cough are mucolytics and expectorants. pharmaceuticals. They must be included in the treatment plan, since first of all it is necessary to improve the discharge of accumulated sputum from the bronchi. In addition, doctors can treat a patient using antibacterial agents. They are necessary to quickly get rid of the infection and prevent relapse of the disease.

Activities that increase the effectiveness of treatment:

complete peace. It is necessary to treat the patient in a comfortable and calm environment. Even a slight disturbance can provoke a cough;
chest massage. This method of treatment is very effective, as it promotes more productive sputum discharge;
in case of hyperthermia, the treatment plan must include antipyretic drugs;
steam inhalations – effective way treatment, as it helps relieve swelling of the larynx. It is best to make them using medicinal herbs m;
support normal level indoor humidity;
normalize the diet and regimen;
if the cause of the cough is an allergic reaction, then it should be treated with antihistamines;
plenty of warm drinks.

It is impossible to treat pathology with folk remedies, as it can only worsen the patient’s condition. This is especially true for young children. They should only be treated inpatient conditions and under the strict supervision of doctors.

A coughing child is a common occurrence for parents who send their child to kindergarten or school. A persistent cough is a sign of inflammatory processes in the upper respiratory tract, and most often laryngitis.

Parents should be concerned if their child has a strong barking cough that does not go away for weeks.

How and with what to treat if the cough is severe and does not go away?

Before you start treating a child’s barking cough, you need to make sure that the cough is of the “barking” type. This type of cough is manifested by a loud, hysterical sound coming from the chest. The urge is loud, paroxysmal, annoying. At the same time, the larynx swells and air flow is blocked. The patient feels severe shortness of breath, which frightens him and causes a natural reflex - an attempt to draw as much air into the lungs as possible.

A child's barking, loud cough is usually dry. Synonyms for “dry” are also “unproductive” or “useless,” because such coughing only irritates the tissues and complicates the course of the disease. A child coughing “barking” complains of pain in the chest, sore throat, can’t sleep at night, loses his voice. This occurs because the larynx and glottis become swollen.

A dry barking cough is identified not only by sound, but also visually. A dry coughing child opens his mouth wide and sticks out his tongue. Children under 3 years of age fall into the risk category: due to the anatomically “underdeveloped” larynx, there is a high probability of suffocation.

A pediatric ENT specialist will tell you how to treat a barking cough in a particular child. Therapy must be comprehensive. First of all, the doctor selects medications that thin the sputum. Along with this, traditional medicine is also important: honey, “live” vitamins, herbal decoctions, etc. Features of the treatment of cough in children depend on how old the child is, how the disease progresses and how high the risk of complications is.

What should I give to drink if it gets worse at night?

A child’s barking cough at night prevents everyone in the household from getting enough sleep and causes complications of the disease. There are two types of drug:

acting directly on the cough reflex;
affecting the “site” of the disease.

The second type of medicine is more effective for long-term illnesses and does not cause dependence or addiction in the body. Medicines are prescribed to infants with great caution. Newborns, as a rule, are treated with traditional gentle methods and massages.

What to give your child for a barking cough:

. It has a local anesthetic effect, calms peripheral sensory receptors, promotes contraction of bronchial muscles and reduces the functions of the cough center. The medicine makes breathing easier and affects the body for 3-4 hours.
Codeine. Stimulates opiate receptors in the central nervous system, resulting in pain relief. Blocking the cough center lasts for 5-6 hours.
Butamirat. Medicine transparent color, reducing irritation and excitability of the cough center. Dilates the bronchi, has expectorant properties and has an anti-inflammatory effect.

Before choosing what and how to treat a barking cough in a child, be sure to consult a pediatrician! Only a doctor can prescribe the right medicine after carefully examining the child.

How to stop in the morning?

A child's barking cough manifests itself more aggressively in the morning than during the day. Possible reasons: , allergic reaction or whooping cough. An accurate diagnosis is made by a specialist. What to give your child if he has a barking cough in the morning:

medicines that relieve cough: Bronchosan;
medications to relieve symptoms and prevent reproduction pathogenic microorganisms: Faringosept, Falimint, Strepsils.

You can’t overdo it with traditional methods! " Loading dose» Vitamin treatment should last a maximum of 1 day, and the remaining time is spent on gradual restoration of the body with the help of medications and preventive actions.

If the doctor has diagnosed laryngitis, along with drug treatment, make sure your child talks less. IN best case scenario-Keep silent for a few days. You can speak in a whisper or in a low voice - the main thing is that the sound occurs “as you exhale” and does not disturb the larynx.

If it flows without temperature

How to treat a barking cough in children if it occurs without fever is not an easy task, since finding the cause is in this case more difficult. If the baby coughs but does not complain about his health, this may be a sign of allergies, asthma, or the presence of a foreign body in the respiratory tract. IN the latter case the child feels dizzy, suffocates and even loses consciousness.

Also the reason may be:

laryngitis;
disorders in the nervous system;
laryngeal cyst;
dry air in the apartment.

When you have a dry cough baby, in most cases this is defensive reaction on dust particles in the air. The problem can be easily eliminated: just humidify the air in the apartment, vacuum it thoroughly and keep it clean. high level. The main thing that parents should remember is that the absence of fever is not the absence of a problem! It is imperative to show your child to a doctor.

To relieve cramps in an adult child (3 to 6 years old), give him soda or herbal steam inhalation. This action is enough before visiting a doctor. Also, do not forget to give your child plenty of warm water (800-1000 ml per day).

A child whose barking cough does not go away eventually begins to feel gag reflexes after each urge. If after every urge the baby vomits, this is fraught with irritation of the walls of the stomach, at a minimum.

Cause of gag reflexes: gag receptors are located on the base of the tongue and in the pharynx. When a child is tormented by a strong urge to cough, the walls of the pharynx are exposed to constant irritation, as a result of which the body is given an erroneous signal to empty the stomach. In this case, the person does not feel nausea, dizziness, or chills. Gag reflexes also indicate the presence of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

To stop coughing vomiting, you need to give the baby a drug that blocks such a reflex. These medications include: If there is no home the right drug, offer your child warmed honey milk, a piece of butter, mint candy or chamomile tea. Candy and tea will not solve the problem, but they will quickly “dull” the feeling of nausea.

It is recommended to consult a doctor on the day of the first attack: the sooner the cause is discovered, the faster problem will be resolved. Preventive measures: Do not give your child too cold or hot food for several days. Offer to drink warmed alkaline water.

Inhalations are certainly useful, but under one condition - if they are done correctly and in right time. Properly performed inhalation quickly “delivers” medicinal substances into the baby's body. Substances are mixed with steam, due to which their absorption by the body is accelerated.

If a child complains of nasal congestion or a dry cough, regular steam inhalation with the addition of chamomile will help.

How to cure barking with the help of inhalations so that the effect does not take long to appear: use a steam inhaler that affects only the upper respiratory tract, if the baby’s diagnosis is:, or laryngitis.

Steam inhalations are carried out by heating the solution to a temperature that evaporates the liquid. If you don’t have a steam inhaler, you can use the old method - heat the solution in a container on the stove.

Efficiency steam inhalations lies in the fact that warm evaporation comes into contact with the respiratory organs. Steam slowly entering respiratory organs, increases blood circulation in the larynx, due to which in immune cells Metabolism is accelerated, toxins are eliminated, swelling is relieved and inflammatory processes are eliminated.

Solutions used for inhalation contain healing substances. Therefore, it is advisable to buy saline solutions at a pharmacy rather than mix them up at home. For example, saline solution with diluted soda can thin mucus, and extracts of medicinal herbs can relieve the inflammatory process. Along with this, inhalations have an analgesic and antiseptic effect.

Recommended temperature for inhalation for a child: 43-46 degrees. This can burn the mucous membrane, causing the patient’s condition to quickly worsen. Duration of the procedure: from 5 to 10 minutes, after which you should put the baby in a warm bed. You cannot walk outside after inhalation for a couple of hours.

Useful video

Look what Elena Malysheva says about the causes of barking cough:

Conclusions

Before you start stopping a barking cough in a child, you need to understand the cause of its occurrence. It is installed by a pediatrician, as it is a sign of impending or developing laryngitis.
Treatment of laryngitis is comprehensive: using medications, inhalations, folk remedies. It is important to observe the “voice regime”: make sure that the child does not raise his voice, speaks in a whisper (ideally, remains silent) until complete recovery.
To speed up the baby’s recovery, it is necessary to maintain 60% humidity in the room and monitor the amount of fluid he consumes.

R05 Cough

Causes of dry barking cough

Most often, the causes of a dry barking cough are acute respiratory infections with inflammation of the mucous membrane of the upper part. respiratory tract. Also in some cases it may occur due to an allergic reaction.

When, in addition to coughing, the patient has a high temperature, a runny nose, and a sore throat, it is likely that the cause is a viral disease. And if all of the above manifestations are absent and in general the person’s health is good with signs skin rash and itching - barking cough, most likely caused by allergies.

There are several diseases that cause a dry barking cough. Among them are:

Acute pharyngitis and laryngitis, as well as laryngotracheitis;
Parapertussis, also whooping cough;
Viral croup resulting from a complication of acute respiratory infections;
Benign or malignant tumors larynx;
Allergic laryngitis;

Symptoms of a dry barking cough

The main, first sign by which a cough is classified as a dry barking cough is its sound - as the name itself suggests, it is somewhat reminiscent of barking.

This sound is explained by the fact that the larynx swells at this time, which also changes the sound of the patient’s voice - hoarseness appears in it. It is impossible to cough up phlegm, which is why the patient feels exhausted and depressed, feels weak and begins to refuse everything. Other symptoms of a dry barking cough include:

A state of general weakness and fatigue.
Difficulty breathing.
Sore throat and headache.
Runny nose.
Lymph nodes enlarge.
Nausea with vomiting.
Hoarse voice.
Inflammation of the larynx and swelling.

Dry barking cough in a child

Typically, children under 5 years of age suffer from a dry barking cough, since their larynx is much narrower than that of older children. Due to a viral infection severe swelling its mucous membrane - swelling almost completely closes the lumen of the larynx, which is why air cannot penetrate into the lungs, which leads to the development of attacks of suffocation.

Attacks of dry barking cough in children at night often begin unexpectedly, in a dream. Usually they do not have any warning signs; often their appearance is the first sign that the child has laryngitis.

Dry barking cough in an adult

A dry barking cough in adults usually indicates the development of laryngotracheitis or acute laryngitis. With laryngotracheitis, inflammation of the larynx usually occurs, which then spreads to the trachea - because of this, during inhalation, the trachea narrows, provoking the appearance of a dry barking cough. However, the temperature usually remains within normal limits.

Barking dry cough without fever

If you have a dry, barking cough without fever, it is most likely caused by an allergic reaction. The causative agents may be various factors– such as food, plants, pets, odors, and household chemicals.

In addition, dry cough caused by allergies has the following symptoms:

No runny nose;
A cough appears or becomes stronger if a person is near an allergen;
The cough may periodically disappear/renew, or be seasonal - it depends on the cause of the allergy.

Due to the dry air in the apartment in winter, irritation of the mucous membrane of the throat can sometimes develop, which can also cause a cough.

It should be understood that over time, allergies can develop into chronic bronchitis or another illness, so you need to see a doctor as soon as possible and start treatment.

Dry barking cough with fever

If a child has a dry, barking cough accompanied by a high fever, this can pose a health hazard, especially in young children because their breathing muscles are still weak. Sometimes such a cough leads to vomiting and nausea, and because of it the patient can even suffocate - respiratory arrest due to cough occurs in children with whooping cough.

Complications and consequences

Inflammatory diseases upper respiratory tract, due to which a dry barking cough begins, can quite often lead to serious complications. A swollen and inflamed larynx can close the airways, so the child may experience a fatal attack of suffocation.

Other complications of this type of cough include the following disorders:

Development of respiratory failure.
The appearance of asthma.
Asphyxia.

Diagnosis of dry barking cough

A doctor can immediately diagnose a dry barking cough - all you need to do is hear the sound of a cough. Diagnosing the causes of this symptom is more difficult. To do this, the specialist needs to examine the patient, palpate the lymph nodes and neck, and also measure the temperature.

Analyzes

During the diagnostic process, laboratory tests: a blood test is taken from the patient ( serological diagnostics for antibodies viral infections) and urine, and also conduct a stool examination.

Instrumental diagnostics

The doctor may also prescribe instrumental diagnostics– these could be the following procedures:

Tuberculin diagnostics.
Auscultation of the lungs (research of respiratory functions).
X-ray of the lungs.
Computed tomography chest.
Scintigraphy.
Bronchography.

Treatment of dry barking cough

A dry barking cough is treated based on the results of the examination - it is not the symptom itself that is treated, but the disease that provoked its appearance.

To treat a severe dry barking cough, opioid medications containing codeine and dextromethorphan may be prescribed to affect the cough centers in the central nervous system. In addition, they write out antihistamines and medications containing glaucine - this is necessary to suppress night cough.

In addition to medications, the treatment process uses aromatherapy, inhalations, mustard plasters, and foot baths; the patient needs to drink fluids (warm) frequently.

How to relieve a child's dry barking cough?

When a child does not show any signs of illness other than a dry, barking cough, he can be helped at home. Coughing attacks are relieved using fairly simple procedures:

Inhalations using steam, as steam can relieve respiratory process and soften the cough (you can use a pan of boiling water for this);
The patient needs to drink a lot of warm water;
Provide him with peace and rest, as the cough may intensify under the influence of excitement;
Use air humidifiers in the room where the patient is;
Taking antitussive expectorant medications (such as Lazolvan, Gedelix, Doctor MOM, Ambrobene, Prospan, etc.);
Perform a massage with gentle tapping on the back, the so-called drainage massage (to help remove mucus), and apply mustard plasters.

Medicines

Gedelix syrup should be taken 5 ml (0.5 measuring cup or 1 tsp); small children are given half of this dose, to which you need to add a little fruit juice or tea. The course of treatment is at least 1 week, and it is also recommended to extend it by 2-3 days after the symptoms of the disease disappear.

Among side effects medications: allergic reactions (swelling, itching, redness of the skin, shortness of breath) rarely occur, with hypersensitivity– gastrointestinal disorders (diarrhea, vomiting and nausea). Gedelix is contraindicated if there is a high sensitivity to the components of the drug.

Lazolvan syrup is taken in the following dosages: adults – 10 ml for the first 2-3 days, and after that 5 ml three times a day (or 10 ml twice a day). Children aged 5-12 years – 15 mg 2-3 per day; at the age of 2-5 years – 7.5 mg three times a day; children under 2 years old - 7.5 mg twice a day.

Side effects - some gastrointestinal disorders may occur (dyspepsia or heartburn, occasionally vomiting and nausea), as well as allergies - skin rash. Contraindications include increased individual sensitivity to the substance ambroxol and other components of the drug.

Ambrobene syrup is drunk after meals in the following dosages: children under 2 years old - 0.5 measuring cup (2.5 ml) twice a day; age within 2-6 years - the same dose, but three times a day; 6-12 years – 1 full measuring cup. (5 ml) 2-3 times/day. Children over 12 years of age and adults – initial 2-3 days. 2 full measuring cups. (10 ml) three times a day.

Side effects: common side effects may include allergic reactions (for example, skin rash, itching, shortness of breath, urticaria), as well as headaches, weakness, and fever. Possible anaphylactic shock. Gastrointestinal organs: sharp pain in the abdomen, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting and nausea. Sometimes there is dry mouth, rhinorrhea, exanthema, and dysuria. The drug is contraindicated if there is a high sensitivity to the substance ambroxol or any of the auxiliary components. Reception is prohibited in case of fructose intolerance, deficiency of sucrase, as well as glucose-galactose malabsorption.

Doctor IOM is prescribed for children 3-5 years old - 0.5 tsp. (2.5 ml) three times a day; children 6-14 years old – 0.5-1 tsp. (2.5-5 ml) three times a day; children 14+ years old and adults – 5-10 ml three times a day. The treatment course lasts 2-3 weeks.

Side effects include allergies.

Inhalations for dry barking cough

There are various options inhalations for dry barking cough. For example, for 1-2 days you can carry out inhalation using antitussive drugs (Lidocaine, Tussamag), combining them with bronchodilators - these could be Atrovent or Berodual. Also, every 2-4 hours you should do inhalations with moisturizing solutions (physiological or soda solution, or mineral water). After sputum appears or after 2 days, you should stop using antitussive drugs and replace them with mucolytics (such as Ambrobene, ACC, Lazolvan, etc.). Next, when a cough with discharge begins large quantity sputum, inhalations can be done using anti-inflammatory drugs (Cromohexal and Romazulan), as well as antiseptic drugs(Chlorophyllipt, Dioxidin).

Vitamins

In order to replenish the supply of vitamins in the body, you should add more vegetables and fruits to your diet, as well as eat healthy foods.

Physiotherapeutic treatment

Physiotherapeutic treatment of dry barking cough is very effective method, since in combination with medications it can activate the work immune system and speed up recovery. Physiotherapeutic procedures reduce inflammation and pain syndrome and also improve blood circulation. During treatment, the following procedures are usually prescribed:

Different massage techniques in the chest area.
UHF procedure.
Acupuncture.
Electrophoresis.
Inhalation procedures.
Special exercises to normalize breathing.
Warming up.

Nowadays, inhalations using special nebulizers are quite popular. An ultrasound or compressor device sprays small particles of medication, so that they enter the smallest parts of the lungs and bronchi, which speeds up the healing process several times. In addition, this remedy helps well to avoid bronchospasms during false croup or obstructive bronchitis in young children.

Traditional treatment

Among traditional methods treatment of dry barking cough - warming massage using eucalyptus oil. Rubbing this tool in the back and chest allows you to quickly reduce painful sensations and make breathing easier. This procedure should be carried out daily before bed until the cough stops.

For a dry cough that torments you at night, you can apply an old lard, wrapping it on top with a warm scarf at night - this will effectively pacify coughing attacks.

Most mothers, hearing a loud cough from a child, begin to panic, imagining terrible diseases in their heads. Indeed, some types of cough syndrome are dangerous in children, especially in infancy. It's about about a barking cough.

Causes of barking cough in children

Barking type cough syndrome is a dry (non-productive) cough. He visits the child often, exhausting the little body with painful long attacks. Most often, children of kindergarten age suffer from it - a barking cough in infants is rare. What causes a dangerous “coughing” situation?

Diseases are the main culprits

A strong barking cough develops in a child due to imperfections in the structure of the larynx. In children, the throat passage is still narrow, and during inflammatory processes it narrows even more. When inflammation invades the vocal cords, the child develops hoarseness and the cough sounds like barking.

The culprits of a child's barking cough are: viral diseases and non-infectious diseases. The main distinguishing indicator of infections caused by viruses is high temperature.

A barking cough accompanied by fever and fever is dangerous, especially if an infant is suffering. A sudden attack of severe dry cough, accompanied by hoarseness, wheezing and noisy whistling breathing, indicates the appearance of false croup.

False croup. This pathology is deadly for babies in the first year of life. A newborn baby has a narrow lumen in the respiratory passage of the pharynx. This disease causes swelling of the laryngeal mucosa, which can lead to respiratory arrest in the baby. In addition to a barking cough, false croup in a child is accompanied by other signs:

Dyspnea.
Weakness and lethargy.
Pain in the sternal area.
Blue discoloration of the nasolabial triangle.

False croup most often manifests itself at night. When the baby lies down, blood flow to the larynx increases, which creates favorable conditions for the development of edema. A baby with false croup requires immediate medical attention.

In addition to the deadly false croup, barking cough in a child is also caused by other diseases:

Laryngitis. Inflammatory process of the vocal cords. The culprits of the disease are the activity of pathogenic microflora. Laryngitis is accompanied by weakness, high fever, and loss of voice. A runny nose and pain develop when trying to swallow.

Influenza, parainfluenza. A barking cough in a child with these pathologies develops due to inflammatory processes in the larynx. The child’s temperature rises sharply (up to +40⁰ C) and his head hurts. There is general weakness and soreness in the muscles.

Whooping cough. Infectious disease respiratory tract acute course. Whooping cough most often affects children of preschool age (the disease is especially dangerous for children under 2 years of age). Whooping cough is characterized by a paroxysmal cough syndrome. The attacks are accompanied by convulsions and a drop in blood pressure.

Other factors can also cause a barking cough in a child. Cough syndrome develops due to dust, dirt, and solid particles entering the baby's respiratory tract. Foreign bodies scratch the airways, causing the development of a barking cough. Such attacks occur with a blue face, shortness of breath and suffocation.

Allergies can also cause a barking cough. Allergic cough syndrome is not accompanied by fever, temperature and other signs of colds. Allergens include food, household dust, pets, pollen from flowering plants and medications.

First aid for children

If you have an attack of barking cough, you should definitely call a doctor! Even if the temperature does not rise with cough syndrome (many diseases at the beginning of their development are not accompanied by fever). Before the doctor arrives, try to calm the baby (excitement further intensifies the cough) and take the following measures:

Dress your child in loose-fitting clothes to make breathing easier.
Ventilate the room well - the air in the room should be moist and fresh. If you are extremely dry (in winter), hang wet diapers or sheets on the radiators.
If the cough is accompanied by a runny nose, rinse your baby's nose with a salt solution.
If the larynx is swollen, place mustard plasters on the child’s legs. The warming agent relieves swelling by transferring blood flow from the larynx to the extremities.
If you have a barking cough, your child should drink a lot. More often give your baby compotes of dried fruits, raisins, homemade fruit drinks, jelly or freshly squeezed juices.

Attention! With a number the following symptoms accompanying a barking cough in a child, urgently call an ambulance:

Loud wheezing.
A sharp rise in temperature.
Pallor of the skin.
The baby is very lethargic and loses consciousness.
Inability to relieve a cough attack.

A barking cough cannot be ignored! Infections in children progress rapidly and require immediate medical care. Stop swelling and develop medical therapy You can only take medications with the help of a doctor.

What does the pediatrician prescribe?

Treatment for a barking cough in a child should be started immediately. The sooner you take curative measures, the faster the baby will feel better.

What does the doctor prescribe?

Antibiotics. Antibiotic medications help fight bacteria and viruses that cause barking cough. These medications are prescribed for high fever. Pediatricians recommend the following antibiotics for children:

Aminopenicillins. Medicines that destroy bacteria and promote rapid recovery. Antibiotics of this group are prohibited from taking for problems with the gastrointestinal tract, kidney disease and allergies.
Tetracyclines. Drugs that affect protein synthesis. Tetracycline antibiotics are prescribed to children from the age of 8 years. Contraindications include liver and kidney diseases.
Macrolides. The most gentle of antibiotics, providing a powerful antimicrobial effect. More often, pediatricians prescribe Roxithromycin and Azithromycin to treat diseases that cause barking cough. Macrolides should not be taken if you have allergies or liver problems.
Fluoroquinolones. A group of antibiotics that destroy pathogens and prevent the formation of new bacteria. For children, pediatricians prescribe Levofloxacin or Moxifloxacin. Antibiotics of this group should not be taken for allergies, epilepsy and children under 8 years of age.

If the pediatrician prescribes a course of antibiotics for your child, strictly follow the dosage of the medications and try to give the medications to the child at the same time. The course of treatment is up to 9 days. But if after 2 days there is no improvement, you need to change the medication.

Antitussive drugs. These medications help cure paroxysmal dry cough syndrome that torments the baby at night. Medicines are also prescribed when a barking cough is observed in a child with a runny nose. When prescribing antitussive drugs, the age of the child is taken into account:

From 2 months: Sinekod drops.
From 6 months: Panatus syrup.
From 3 years: syrups Sinecod, Codelac Neo, Omnitus, Bronholitin, Bronchocin, Bronchoton.
From 4 years: Alex Plus lozenges, Glucodin syrup.

When fighting a barking cough, just buy the right one medicinal product and you shouldn’t start giving it to your child. Only a doctor can explain how to treat a baby and what causes the baby to have coughing attacks. Do not try to select therapy yourself, do not risk your child’s health!

On your own, you can only supplement the therapy prescribed by your doctor with the help of people's pharmacy. But even that home treatment requires prior agreement with a pediatrician.

Traditional medicine methods

Home treatment for barking cough will help relieve painful coughing attacks and significantly facilitate and speed up the child’s recovery. How to treat barking cough at home?

Milk with carrots. Finely grate the carrots (1-2 pieces) and place the mixture in a glass of hot milk. Half an hour after infusion, give the product to the child to drink.
Egg potion. Boil a glass of milk and add butter and liquid honey (a tablespoon each). IN egg yolk add a pinch of soda and beat well. Combine the ingredients, mix and drink.
Onion decoction. Boil a couple of medium onions (along with the peel) in 1-1.5 liters of water. Add a glass of sugar to the broth. Cook the mixture over low heat for an hour and a half. Then remove the bulbs and drink 1-2 tablespoons of syrup three times a day.
Ginger drink. Mix ginger powder with honey (a tablespoon at a time) and add to a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Drink a hot drink throughout the day.
Date tea. Pour ½ liter of water over the date fruits (10-12 pieces). Brew the drink for 20-30 minutes.
Lemon. Pour a medium sized lemon on top and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Cool the lemon and squeeze the juice out of it. Lemon juice mix with glycerin (2 tbsp) and liquid honey (up to the volume of a full glass). Give the child 2 teaspoons of the healing agent 2-3 times daily.

To help cope with a barking cough in little ones (up to 3 years old), take freshly squeezed cabbage and carrot juices to help. Carrot juice is mixed with sugar syrup in a 1x2 ratio. And cabbage is bred sugar syrup in equal quantities. Delicious medicine Give babies a teaspoon to drink 2-3 times a day.

In order for coughing to come faster and a dry cough to turn into a productive one, home inhalations made from medicinal herbs and essential oils come to the rescue. The following products are suitable for inhalation:

Garlic.
Breast fees.
thyme plants, peppermint, plantain, coltsfoot.
Essential oils of sage, eucalyptus, cedar, sandalwood, ginger and fir.

Warm decoctions of rose hips, oats, cranberry juice and tea with aromatic jam from viburnum or fir cones are excellent, tasty helpers for treating a child’s dry barking cough.

TO healing tea Prepare chocolate butter that is useful for cough syndrome. Place in container pork fat and cocoa powder (3 tablespoons each), butter and natural chocolate (100 g each). Mix the mixture thoroughly and let your baby eat it, spreading it on bread. For the treatment of barking cough healthy sandwiches given to the child 4-5 times every day.

Evening warming rubs using goat or badger fat or camphor oil. Warming compresses (mustard, potato and honey) also help in treatment.

The famous pediatrician Dr. Komarovsky is convinced that the treatment of painful cough attacks will speed up if you create a favorable, calm atmosphere at home. Barking cough in children it will pass sooner, if parents adhere to the following recommendations:

A sick baby should drink often. The more fluid he receives, the sooner the mucus will liquefy and expectoration will begin.
If the child has a fever, remove the child from clothes - this will make the fever go away faster.
Do not use medications (or other means) to lower the temperature to +38.5 ⁰ C. With such indicators, the body fights the infection on its own, so do not interfere with it.
Do not rub your baby's chest and back with warming ointments that contain essential oils. Essential oils often provoke the development of allergic reactions.
Daily inhalations using mineral water(Essentuki, Borjomi).
Massage your baby's back and chest every evening light movements. This will make breathing easier and help get rid of nighttime barking cough attacks.
During a coughing attack, do not force your baby to drink. High probability that when coughing, trying to drink medicine or water, the baby will choke and begin to choke.
Be sure to take your baby for a walk fresh air. Refusal to go for a walk can only be elevated temperature bodies.

A dry barking cough in a child is serious and dangerous symptom. It is dangerous in itself and for diseases that cause coughing attacks. Successful treatment barking cough in children should combine the remedies of a traditional pharmacy with medications and therapy prescribed by a pediatrician.

Remember! The sooner you start treating the disease, the faster the disease will disappear from the child and the less harm it will cause to the small organism.

Health to your baby!

A loud, hacking cough is also called a barking cough. It occurs against the background of pronounced narrowing of the larynx, which in medical terminology sounds like laryngospasm or laryngostenosis, croup.

More often, this condition is caused by upper respiratory tract infections and is more typical in childhood. However, it also has to be treated in mature people.

How and with what to treat in adults?

A barking cough is a symptom indicating damage to a specific area of the upper respiratory tract - the larynx. It can be dry and wet, accompanied by fever or without any signs of concomitant pathology at all. It all depends on the cause of laryngostenosis, or spasm, which must be found and taken into account when prescribing treatment.

Reasons

The lion's share of barking cough episodes is of an infectious nature:

flu;
adenoviruses;
respiratory syncytial virus infection;
nonspecific bacterial lesions.

Not long ago common reasons barking cough were diphtheria, whooping cough and measles, but thanks to widespread vaccination, such diseases are practically never encountered in modern clinical practice.

In addition to infection, laryngostenosis/spasm is provoked by allergic phenomena, foreign bodies(tumor, papilloma, polyp). There are even neurogenic attacks of barking cough, when it occurs for no apparent reason due to the characteristics of a person’s personality.

Episodes in which such a symptom appears without noticeable respiratory distress require special attention from patients and doctors: this can be associated with heart pathology.

Principles of treatment

The vast majority of people with laryngostenosis are treated on an outpatient basis. The need for hospitalization arises in the following cases:

early age of the patient - attacks are often accompanied by dysfunction external respiration, suffocation;
suspected diphtheria;
a prolonged episode in an adult, when a barking cough lasts for a week or longer;
the addition of a secondary pathology that aggravates the course of the disease - cardiovascular diseases;
general serious condition patient.

It is almost always possible to cure a person with a conservative approach - using medications, physiotherapeutic techniques. The main thing is to accurately determine the cause of the barking cough and then select what to treat, be it an adult or a child.

Surgical help is required when a barking cough is caused by laryngeal stenosis due to a neoplasm: tumor, polyp, papillomas.

What to take?

The first thing you need to focus on therapeutic measures, is to ease the symptoms. Since most cases of barking cough occur against the background of acute respiratory infections, treatment in adults should be aimed at combating cough, stimulating the immune system, and destroying causative viruses.

The standard therapeutic regimen for treating a barking cough includes:

antitussives;
immunomodulators, preferably of plant origin;
complex multivitamin preparations;
detoxification;
means to combat concomitant pathologies.

A barking cough originates from the larynx, so traditional expectorant medications will have little effect. In order to quickly get rid of an attack, it is effective to take drugs that suppress the cough reflex. They contain codeine and dextromethorphan.

Another way is to reduce the irritability of the nerve receptors that trigger the cough reflex. You can take drugs based on prenoxdiazine (eg,).

Herbal infusions of lemongrass, ginseng extract and some other agents have an immunomodulatory effect. The same goal (stimulation of the body's defenses) is pursued by recommendations to take multivitamin preparations.

Taking antibiotics for a barking cough is not always necessary: many processes are viral in nature. Antimicrobials in such cases they are useless or may even cause harm.

Outpatient detoxification – drinking plenty of fluids. Naturally, if a person with a barking cough feels more or less satisfactory. You need to drink warm water, maybe with honey. It is important to monitor diuresis: urine should be released in quantities comparable to the volume of fluid drunk.

Treatment of other problems that often accompany a barking cough - the most important moment. Concomitant pathologies include:

pneumonia (pneumonia);

Apply adjuvant therapy necessary only for medical purposes.

How to relieve a severe attack quickly?

A barking cough tends to appear at night and is often paroxysmal in nature. This greatly annoys the patient and his loved ones. There are several ways to relieve (stop) an attack of a strong barking cough:

carry out distracting activities - rub or steam your feet with a water temperature of 37-42˚C;
antitussives central action– the main medication to treat a severe barking cough in an adult (symptomatic therapy);
organize an influx of fresh cool air at a temperature of 18˚C;
drink warm liquid - milk with a small addition of soda.

If your body temperature is elevated, take an antipyretic. Better than paracetamol, it affects the centers of pain and inflammation in the brain.

Are inhalations necessary?

Inhalation therapy is indicated for almost all patients with a barking cough: from the age of 1 month to a very elderly person. The effect of inhalation is determined by moisturizing the inflamed mucous membrane, sanitizing it from microorganisms, and relieving swelling. Practiced as traditional method steam-humid inhalations, as well as modern hardware methods with the connection of nebulizers.

To get rid of a barking cough using the steam-moisture approach, the following means are used:

boiled potatoes;
soda solution (sodium bicarbonate) 1-2%;
decoctions medicinal plants– chamomile, sage, eucalyptus;
ready-made mixtures for inhalation.

The use of fine aerosols generated by nebulizers is more relevant for diseases of the lungs and bronchi. It may be indicated for complicated upper respiratory tract infections.

The nebulizer allows you to stop a barking cough with severe swelling of the larynx. For this purpose, 0.05% naphthyzine is used as a working solution.

Inhalations should be carried out less than 3 times a day and only when general condition the patient is satisfactory. High temperature body (at 38˚C and above), a rapid increase in the intensity of a barking cough, an increase in the frequency of attacks or an increase in their duration is a sign that consultation with a specialist is required, correction of the diagnosis and treatment.

Just as in adults, the barking nature of cough in children indicates the localization of the inflammatory process in the larynx and its spread to the glottis. Laryngitis in children always has sharp character and in most cases is a consequence of a viral respiratory infection and occurs 2-3 years after the acute respiratory infection.

Due to the features anatomical structure this part respiratory system younger children and preschool age are predisposed to the development of laryngeal stenosis (false croup), which poses a threat to life. Therefore, difficulty breathing requires immediately calling an ambulance.

Other types of cough

In addition to damage to the larynx, a sonorous and loud cough occurs with some other diseases of the upper respiratory tract. Such problems can be distinguished from laryngospasm or laryngostenosis by certain features:

time of appearance;
intensity;
hyperthermic syndrome;
patient's age.

With the onset of darkness, people activate their parasympathetic nervous system. At such times, a cough appears or intensifies with bronchial asthma, neurogenic attacks.

It must be taken into account that laryngospasm with a barking cough also often occurs at night, in the first half of the night.

This is where hyperstimulation takes place. vagus nerve. The cough is paroxysmal, dry and loud. At the end of a protracted attack, regurgitation is noted. Similar symptoms are typical for parainfluenza. medium degree heaviness, initial stages acute bronchitis and some others serious illnesses. It's not easy to film scenes like this.

Despite the fact that hyperthermic syndrome is almost always a criterion for an infectious process, the temperature does not always rise in mild forms of infection.

If a barking cough occurs against the background of normal health and without fever, it is necessary to exclude the allergic nature of the process. Such patients require special treatment.

Any episode of barking cough in childhood requires attention. Children have a short and narrow larynx; the slightest swelling leads to its blocking and threatens to stop breathing.

In addition to laryngospasm, severe attacks A child’s cough is provoked by:

entry of a foreign body into the respiratory tract;
whooping cough;
measles;
bronchitis.

In all such cases, it is necessary to provide the child urgent consultation pediatrician, qualified diagnosis and therapy of the underlying disease.

Useful video

Useful information about diseases, causing cough, watch the following video:

Conclusions

A barking cough in itself is a symptom that something is wrong with the larynx. Due to the threat of blockage of this part of the respiratory tract, patients should visit a doctor. This is especially true for young children, preschoolers, and teenagers.
It wouldn't hurt to see a therapist and an adult. This is the only way to find the cause of a barking cough, select the optimal therapeutic regimen and cure the person.