Whether soft or loud, coughing produces a distinctive, harsh sound as they force the lungs to release air and other substances. Both healthy children and adults cough every now and then for various reasons, sometimes on several occasions in a day. Parents should learn how to distinguish the different types of cough that children experience in order to determine if it is harmless or an indication of an illness.
Close look on coughing
Coughing is a typical indication of sickness among children. Even though the act of coughing is actually a normal reflex that helps keep the chest and throat healthy. Take note that cough clears up the airways by eliminating excess mucus, foreign particles and other substances. Without coughing, the matter might stay in place longer and possibly block or irritate the passages that can make the child feel even worse.
What are the types of cough?
A productive, wet cough typically brings up fluids such as mucus and sputum from the lungs or windpipe. In contrast, dry cough does not involve the release of fluids but can indicate that the lungs are infected.
Coughing can either be acute or chronic. When it comes to an acute cough, it only lasts for days or several weeks. If chronic, it lasts more than a month.
Features
Wet cough is considered as an effective way for the body to eliminate unwanted fluids in the lower respiratory tract. In case the cough is due to a bacterial infection, the released substances will contain bacteria that the doctor can detect using a test such as a culture.
Older children are capable to spit out the fluids brought up by wet cough while young children tend to swallow them. As a result, young children with wet cough can also suffer from an upset stomach but the fluid that was swallowed will eventually leave the body through vomit or bowel movement.
Cause
Various health conditions which affect children have wet cough as a symptom including asthma, certain allergies and infections of the respiratory tract such as flu, bronchitis, pneumonia and common cold. Most cases of wet cough among children are due to common cold. Since cold is not considered dangerous, children who are suffering from wet cough linked to a cold are often able to continue with daily activities after they start to feel well again as long as fever is not present.
Treatment
Since wet cough serves as a vital bodily function among children which helps expel unnecessary substances, parents must manage the cough as their main objective. The initial measure is to provide the child with plenty of fluids that will not cause further irritation such as warm broth or apple juice.
The child can be given honey as a natural cough medication if he/she is older than 1 year old or a cough treatment that contains dextromethorphan if older than 4 years old. Nevertheless, if the condition of the child becomes worse or the wet cough persists for more than 3 weeks, a doctor should be consulted for proper treatment.