Answering parents' questions about respiratory disease in children

According to research data of the US Health Organization, every year adults suffer from respiratory diseases from 2-3 times, and children can up to 10 times. Especially in winter, respiratory diseases in children such as flu, pneumonia,... account for 70% of the diseases occurring in young children. So, how to prevent and treat respiratory diseases for children?
Let's answer frequently asked questions about this disease with Pediatrician Le Thu Phuong - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.

Question 1: What is the cause of respiratory diseases, why is it that my grandchildren are covered everywhere but still have respiratory diseases?

Answer: There are many causes of respiratory illness in young children:
Children's respiratory system is not fully developed, resistance is weak, airways are short, breathing many times a minute leads to viruses that cause disease easily. Intrusion. Environmental factors due to high population density, tobacco smoke, recurrence, location, some children with chronic diseases first. Nutritional factors: Using cold food, fried food, grilled food is relatively dry because the child's throat and mouth are vulnerable. Eat too much sugar, drink carbonated water. Vitamin D in food is very poor, so it should be synthesized from the sun. Covering and wearing masks for children when going out is necessary, but this does not completely protect children because they only prevent dust and smoke seen with the naked eye, while viruses and microscopic bacteria are still " casually" in and out of the tiny filter holes of the mask. Even indoor air needs to be protected by using an air purifier.

Question 2: 3 days ago, the child had no fever but coughed more and had sputum. I took him to the doctor and he concluded that he had a sore throat and prescribed medicine but it has been 2 days since he took it, but he still hasn't recovered. I often have a cough at night, sometimes during the day, the cough is heavy, with sputum. Can you advise me on how to treat it?

Answer:
In any prescription, the words: Re-examination if there is any abnormality or the disease does not improve after 2-3 days of taking the medicine. So what is unusual? With respiratory disease, it is unusual for the baby to cough more, cough for a long time, causing the baby to turn pale, vomit after coughing, refuse to eat, can't drink, have high fever, wheeze, have difficulty breathing, fast breathing. chest retracts when breathing. It is necessary to re-examine immediately, so that the doctor can determine the severity of the disease.
In case your baby is taking medicine for 2 days and the disease does not improve, you also need to take him back for a follow-up examination so that the doctor can change the appropriate treatment method to avoid the disease from getting worse.

Question 3: Doctor, how can I distinguish if I have a cold due to the weather or a respiratory disease for timely treatment?

Answer:
Colds caused by weather or common colds according to folk calling can have symptoms such as: Fever, older children complain of body pain, headaches, crying babies, uncomfortable leaving Eating, some children have abdominal pain, diarrhea and often accompanied by respiratory syndrome such as sneezing, clear runny nose, stuffy nose, cough. Bronchitis can be just one sign when a child has a cold, but it can also be the start of severe respiratory illness a few days later.
Inexperienced parents, unable to distinguish for sure whether the child has a cold or a respiratory illness, can initially care for the child at home as follows:
Reduce the child's fever with a group of drugs containing Acetaminophen with a dose of 10 - 15 mg/kg/time, every 4-6 hours when the child has a fever of 38.5 degrees Celsius or higher, no more than 6 times/day. Clean the nose and throat for children with physiological saline (pay attention to warm when it is cold): Young children spray their nose, older children can combine mouthwash with warm physiological saline 3-4 times a day. Give liquid, cold, nutritious food, divided into small meals. Drink fruit juice, warm water according to the child's needs. Using folk remedies to help children reduce cough and expectoration: Steamed kumquats with honey, steamed lemon basil with alum sugar, steamed white roses with honey, soaked feet in warm water, applied cajeput oil on the soles of children's feet, ... If after 2-3 days, the child does not improve or shows signs of worsening, then take the child to see a pediatrician for examination and treatment:
High fever, taking fever-reducing medicine does not reduce or convulsion due to fever. Lethargy, fatigue, vomiting a lot, not eating, not being able to drink. Cough a lot, wheezing, shortness of breath, cyanosis. Tachypnea (more than 60 breaths/minute in infants under 2 months, more than 50 breaths per minute in children 2 months - 12 months, more than 40 times in children 12 months - 60 months). Chest indrawing, wheezing when lying still.

Question 4: I have a low-grade fever and a cough. Every cough is red face, watery eyes. After the cough, the child takes long breaths, so there is a hissing sound. Sometimes the child's mouth has a lot of sticky sputum that cannot be spit out. Children can cough several dozen times a day, lasting from 2 to 3 weeks. I don't know what respiratory disease I have and how to treat it, doctor?

Answer:
The information provided by the family is a typical case of whooping cough. To avoid causing dangerous complications in many organs such as bronchopneumonia ; Hypoglycemia ; convulsions ; hemorrhage; malnourished,..., take your baby to a medical facility immediately for examination, monitoring and treatment.

Question 5: Hello doctor, my baby is 1 year old, often vomits with a lot of sputum but no cough. I bought medicine for him to take but it didn't work, is there any way or medicine to cure him? Thank you!

Answer:
In fact, there are many parents who buy their own medicine to treat symptoms for their children without finding out the cause. This is extremely dangerous for the child because of the unwanted side effects of the medicine, because the disease is aggravated by not getting the right treatment. For a 1-year-old baby, who often spits up sputum but does not cough: The mucus that the baby vomits up is not really sputum, it may be gastric juice due to gastroesophageal reflux disease. This is a digestive disease, which can be diagnosed accurately with specialist examination, tests, ultrasound to find reflux,...
When parents default to vomiting sputum, that is, orientation towards respiratory disease, the treatment will certainly follow that direction. The definitive answer is to bring the baby to see a pediatrician at a medical facility with adequate facilities for diagnosis.

Question 6: Doctor, my daughter is 4 years old and has been wheezing for 2 months now. The baby went to the doctor, the doctor said he had acute rhinitis and prescribed medicine, but after taking it for a day, he found that the nasal sputum was thicker and thicker, the baby was more fussy, I still put physiological saline on the baby but still no pain. I feel better, I'm afraid that if it takes a long time, it will lead to pneumonia. Please help me with advice. Thank you very much

Answer:
First, the doctor wants to distinguish with parents about two concepts that parents often confuse: Wheezing and snorting.
Wheezing: An abnormal breathing sound that occurs when a child has a lower airway obstruction. Listen clearly when the child exhales, is a sign of seriousness in infants commonly seen in bronchiolitis, bronchiolitis, bronchitis, pneumonia ) Snorting : More common, usually due to nasal obstruction. The snorts increase as the baby suckles, or stops sucking to breathe. Usually prolonged but not dangerous. 4-year-old baby, the doctor has diagnosed acute nasopharyngitis, the sound the mother describes as wheezing may just be a snort due to a blocked nose. But progressing from an upper respiratory infection to a lower respiratory tract infection (bronchitis, pneumonia) is very likely. If the baby sees more sputum, thicker sputum, more fussy, parents should have the baby re-examined to determine the more severe course of the disease.

Question 7: My baby is almost 3 years old. 3 days today, the baby coughs a lot, has a little runny nose. I took him to the doctor and he diagnosed an upper respiratory infection. But taking the medicine did not see any relief and still cough more. Doctor advise me.

Answer:
Inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, it also takes 5-7 days to heal, there is no elixir to take 1-2 doses, the disease is relieved immediately. Cough is actually a beneficial response of the body to expel foreign matter, phlegm. So if the cough does not affect the baby's quality of life such as vomiting a lot, coughing can't sleep, coughing until tired, then there is no need to worry. After 3 days, if the disease does not tend to improve, the baby will be re-examined. Depending on the actual situation, the doctor can change the medicine, supplement the medicine or give reasonable advice.

Question 8: Hello doctor, my baby is 2 years old. The baby has a lot of cough, sputum and runny nose, at first the nose is white, then it turns green. Baby has been 10 days already. I have cleaned my nose regularly but it doesn't go away. Before that, the baby had a fever for about 4 days. Please advise.

Answer:
Dear friend! It is very important to clean the baby's nose while the baby has nasopharyngeal symptoms. But if it's been 10 days and your baby still coughs a lot, has phlegm, and turns green, you have to take him to the doctor! The first is that the nose turns green, which means there are signs of bacterial superinfection. Second, the ears, nose and throat are connected, so long-term nasopharyngitis can cause otitis media, the doctor will appoint an Otolaryngoscope to identify you!
Note: It is also necessary to clarify a current controversial opinion: "Rin washing causes otitis media", parents should consult a doctor about the method of nasal irrigation to avoid damaging the nasal mucosa, causing damage to the nasal mucosa. choking for children or some cases of stuffy nose, washing water can't come out, blowing on the ear causes fluid retention in the ear, which is very dangerous.

Question 9: My nephew is 7 months old. Previously, the child had a cough, runny nose and fever. I took her to the doctor and took medicine and the fever went away. But still cough and runny nose . Should I give him more antibiotics, doctor?

Answer:
In fact, many parents treat their children's coughs with antibiotics. The abuse of antibiotics in the treatment of coughs for children for a long time will have great side effects. Depending on the location, the child may have symptoms such as: Diarrhea, anaphylaxis. Using certain antibiotics in high doses or for a long time can cause liver and kidney damage. For children with a history of liver and kidney problems, if using antibiotics, doctors often adjust the dose and control liver function before and after taking them.
According to research, each year children under 5 years old can suffer from 4-12 times of common respiratory infections such as flu, sore throat, bronchitis, sinusitis,... most of which is caused by virus. There is a classic sentence that doctors often hear from each other: "The virus is cured by taking medicine for 7 days, without taking medicine, it is cured in a week" to talk about the nature of not needing, unable to interfere with the drug. At that time, it is only necessary to support symptomatic treatment such as cleaning the nose and throat, reducing cough, fighting inflammation, reducing fever, improving resistance with drugs and nutrition - Antibiotics have no role!

Question 10: Dear doctor, since birth, my respiratory system has been weaker than other normal children, so just being cold or not wearing a mask carefully when going out is the same as that, I immediate relapse. The most severe is that the child often has "stuffed" nose, wheezing, especially at night. So how can I improve this problem for you?

Answer:
First, take your baby to see an ENT doctor for endoscopy to see if the baby has any abnormalities in the airways (narrowing of the posterior nostril, nasal polyps, hypertrophy of the nasopharynx,...). Fully vaccinate your baby to create active immunity. Have a reasonable diet to improve your baby's resistance. Make your baby a habit of daily hygiene of body, nose, throat and teeth. Hand hygiene is also an effective and simple way to prevent disease. Keep children warm in winter, cool in summer. The baby's living environment should avoid coal smoke, tobacco smoke, dog and cat hair, etc. Do not arbitrarily use any drugs for children. Take your child to the doctor when he or she has health problems.

Hopefully the above answers will help parents understand somewhat about common respiratory diseases in children and reduce confusion when dealing with children's illnesses.
Pediatrics department at Vinmec International General Hospital is the address for receiving and examining diseases that infants and young children are susceptible to: viral fever, bacterial fever, otitis media, pneumonia in With modern equipment, sterile space, minimizing the impact as well as the risk of disease spread. Along with that is the dedication from the doctors with professional experience with pediatric patients, making the examination no longer a concern of the parents.

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