Signs of bronchitis in children

The manifestation of signs of bronchitis in children worries parents more than rhinitis or ARVI. This concern is justified, since advanced bronchitis can pass into pneumonia. Children may experience a complication that can lead to death, and according to statistics, at the age of up to four this happens more often than in older age. But if you diagnose the disease in time and apply treatment, this ailment is quite easy to overcome.

What is bronchitis and its forms

Bronchitis is an inflammatory process of the bronchi that forms a cough and phlegm (mucus) in them, which coughs up. This disease is infectious or allergic. This disease doctors in children are divided into:

• acute bronchitis with sharply manifested symptoms;
• recurrent - acute bronchitis, when the baby is sick from them three or more times a year;
• chronic - the child is ill with protracted bronchitis several times a year, and so for two years.

There are several types of this disease:

• bronchiolitis - when the inflammatory process takes place in very small bronchi;
• obstructive bronchitis - partial obstruction of the bronchi.

Bronchitis in children - symptoms and treatment

The first signs of bronchitis in children, regardless of the forms and species, are practically the same: the body temperature rises sharply to 38-39 ° C, there is a runny nose, coughing with gurgling or wheezing sounds in the chest area. But the signs of obstructive bronchitis in children can be noted, characteristic only to this type of disease, wheezing. If wheezing is not audible, but there is a hard breathing, then this can also be an indicator of bronchitis. Symptoms of chronic and acute bronchitis in children are basically similar and manifest the same. But in rare cases this disease is very different. The temperature rises no higher than 37.5-37.7 ° C, or completely without it, and instead of a "wheezing" cough - as if choking, without damp manifestations. This manifestation is typical of atypical bronchitis, which causes infections such as mycoplasma or chlamydia. But in this form the disease is extremely rare.

Self-medication is best not to deal with any diseases, including bronchitis. If you find the first signs of the disease, it is better to immediately go to the doctor or call him at home. Before the appointment of treatment, you need to identify the nature of the disease. For example, if it turns out that the disease is caused by an allergic irritant, then you can do without antibiotics, but only with antihistamines, eliminating irritants or changing the conditions in which an allergy is caused. And if the disease is of an infectious nature, then it is necessary to find out what virus, bacteria or virus-bacteria it is caused to pick up drugs that will have the greatest effect on them. Antitussives are also prescribed depending on the nature of the cough. So, with obstructive bronchitis , a remedy is needed that increases the clearance in the bronchi. And if the sputum is dense and poorly departs, drugs that dilute it are needed.

But the general rules that will contribute to the child's recovery, parents are obliged to provide, they include: air humidification, abundant drink, including juices, compotes, tea with lemon, etc., as well as the correct attitude to the temperature, if it keeps at the level up to 38 ° C, then nothing is needed with this. Elevated body temperature is a normal reaction of the body to diseases, which stimulates the work of immunity. A very good remedy for any cough is inhalation, which does not prevent, even if the medicines were prescribed by a doctor.