Among respiratory diseases in children, the most common are rhinitis, bronchitis, laryngitis and pharyngitis. All this - inflammatory diseases, when the respiratory system (nose, bronchial tubes, pharynx or larynx) is infected with viruses or bacteria. Let's talk about such a common disease as laryngitis in children, its features, causes and types. All parents should know how to help a child with acute laryngitis and remember the methods of preventing laryngitis in children.
Symptoms of laryngitis in children
Symptoms of laryngitis in children are often the following:
- dry cough;
- pershenie, pain, discomfort or sensation of a foreign body in the throat;
- changes in the voice (when the vocal cords become inflamed, it becomes hoarse or completely disappears);
- labored breathing.
The increase in temperature with laryngitis in children may not be diagnosed: it depends on the type and cause of laryngitis in each case.
Sometimes, especially in children younger than 5-6 years, a marked symptom of laryngitis may become stenosis (edema) of the larynx. He is also called a "false cereal" . At the same time, the laryngeal lumen significantly narrows, the child becomes hard to breathe, he begins to choke. A characteristic sign of stenosis is a loud dry barking cough in a child . This condition is very dangerous and requires the immediate reaction of parents and doctors.
Laryngitis in children: the main causes
Inflammation of the mucosa of the larynx develops for various reasons; this depends, first of all, on the type of disease. Laryngitis in children can be acute, chronic, allergic, and also secondary, combined with inflammation of other respiratory organs (laryngotracheitis, laryngoblochitis, etc.).
Acute laryngitis usually begins with a runny nose and cough, other symptoms (including stenosis of the larynx) occur dramatically and cause the child great inconvenience. Infection penetrates airborne through the nasopharynx and begins to develop in the larynx.
Unlike the acute form, chronic laryngitis can result from the constant overstraining of the vocal cords, the habit of the child to breathe through the mouth, the presence of other chronic diseases of the respiratory system, frequently repeated laryngitis, persistent or strong cough of any origin.
Allergic laryngitis is more common in adolescents and adults, as well as in children prone to allergies in principle. It develops from the constant inhalation of allergic dust-laden air (for example, when living near industrial areas), from contact with vapors of various dyes and chemicals.
Treatment of larynx inflammation
If the child has obvious signs of laryngeal edema (and this often happens abruptly, unexpectedly and, as a rule, at night), then he needs immediate first aid. To do this, make the air in the room warm and moist (for example, include hot water in the bathroom), and to reduce the swelling offer the child soda inhalation. All this must be done before the arrival of the ambulance team, which should be called as soon as you notice the symptoms of stenosis.
Traditional treatment of laryngitis in children involves the use of antibiotics, as well as auxiliary methods:
- local treatment - sprays for the throat, rinses, tablets for resorption and alkaline inhalations;
- warm drink - milk, infusions of herbs;
- Silent mode - the less a child speaks, the sooner he will recover;
- with allergic laryngitis is mandatory taking antihistamines.
Very rarely, in exceptional cases, it is possible to treat laryngitis by surgical methods.