Cold & Cough
Children have a lot of colds. Sometimes these colds are called U.R.I.'s (Upper Respiratory Infections). The important aspects regarding "colds" is how sick your child becomes and what complications develop. An adult who gets a cold can recover rapidly and appear to be less sick because he has developed "antibodies" or defenses to the infections when he was younger. A child has to develop these "antibodies" and may become ill with colds every three or four weeks of the first three or four "cold" seasons of his life, usually during the winter months. It usually takes several days to two weeks to recover from a U.R.I., but slowly and surely most children begin to feel better. There is no way to "cure" the common cold, but there are ways to make children more comfortable.
Contact your doctor if your child's fever returns, if he develops an earache, sore throat, or has difficulty breathing, or if the cold persists more than ten days. Antibiotics do not cure the common cold virus, (but are useful in killing the germs which cause complications such as ear infections, sinus infections, bronchitis, pneumonia and other more serious infection).
Coughs
The cough is a natural protection mechanism. Most coughs are due to upper respiratory infections (URI) or allergies.
Certain coughs are alarming. A "barky" or "brassy" cough may mark the presence of croup and definitely should be evaluated. A cough associated with sneezing, difficulty breathing, persistent fever, or chills, or one that lingers longer than one week should be evaluated in the office.
Symptoms of an Upper Respiratory Infection (U.R.I.)
There are more than 200 different cold viruses. Each virus may cause one or more of the common cold symptoms, and the individual symptoms may be worse with one virus than it is with another.
- Fever is common and frequently is not present.
- Mucusy and watery discharge of the nose, sneezing, hoarseness and coughing are the most frequent symptoms.
- A sore throat is commonly present and frequently is not.It may be present at the beginning or may not occur until after 2-3 days. If sore throat persists more than one week, it is often due to a sinus infection.
- Muscleachesandpains.
- Headaches.
- Other symptoms that some U.R.I. viruses may cause are bowel symptoms such as diarrhea or lower respiratory symptoms such as in croup, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia.
Suggestions for Treating U.R.I
- Use a vaporizer or cool mist humidifier in the room at night.The mist is soothing to the child's nose and throat. We favor the use of hot steam vaporizers, although they can be a safety hazard if not protected from small children. They work better for upper respiratory problems. However, cold mist usually works better for croup and lower respiratory problems (e.g. bronchiolitis). Continuous use of vaporizers may lead to mold growth, deterioration of carpets, paint and wallpaper and may lead to the development of allergic reactions to mold.
- Any brand of acetaminophen o ribuprofen (non-aspirin medication) may be used for the fever and muscular aches and pains. Acetaminophen does not help congestion. DO NOT USE ASPIRIN in children and adolescents.
- Nosedrops, for the nasal stuffiness, are especially important for the infant whose stuffed-up nose prevents him from nursing. Use an infant nasal aspirator for children who cannot blow their noses. An aspirator can be purchased at any drugstore. Put the nosedrops in first, then hold one nostril closed while you suction out the other. The salt water solution for young infants can be used as often as necessary, but medicated nosedrops should be used only every 4 hours. When a child is old enough to blow his nose, nosedrops may be not be necessary.
- The current recommendation is that no cough, cold, or allergy medicines be used under the age of four, and only sparingly for older children. These medicines have proven not to be effective and have many adverse side effects.
