what to do about that awful cough!

Cough, cough, and cough… cough, cough, and cough

Does it sound like this at your house? That never-ending cough that has been off and on, mostly at night. If your child has had a bad cold or virus, they can cough for a number of weeks while the body heals and sometimes, they are just getting over the cough by the time they come down with their next winter cold!  What can you do?

what could be causing the cough?

• Environmental irritation: most of us have recently turned on our heating systems and that heat is typically drying to our mucous membranes. Also, the heating system can blow more dust into the air which can be irritating as well.
• Allergies: Are dust mites, molds, or other environmental allergies the trigger? Does your child frequently have a runny nose, itchy, watery eyes or sneezing? Are there dark circles under your child’s eyes?
• Inflammation/ infection: Is your child coughing day and night? Is the cough worse when your child becomes active? Is your child having fevers? Is your child having difficulty breathing, breathing faster or deeper than normal? Do you hear a wheeze from them?

If none of the above, the cough may be due to drainage or congestion in the back of their throat or by inflammation at the back of the throat. Cough is a protective mechanism that helps to keep fluid out of our lungs. However, cough can also occur if there is congestion within the lungs, either from an infection such as pneumonia or bronchiolitis, and/or inflammation such as asthma or from a foreign body/ something inhaled.

what to do

If your child is happy, playful, and otherwise does not seem to be bothered by the cough… leave it alone. 

If, however, your child seems uncomfortable because of the cough or is not sleeping as well, then here are some remedies:

home environment:

Increase moisture in the environment. There are attachments for some heating systems that allow you to do this house-wide. Use a cool mist humidifier or vaporizer for the bedroom. (Change water daily and wash the bowls/humidifiers). The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends cool mist humidifiers, especially in households with smaller children, due to the lower risk of burn injuries. These devices have cords that can entice children to pull on which can cause the device to tip over spilling hot water and potentially causing a burn.

Ensure that you have changed the air filters and continue to do so at the recommended intervals for your heating system.

medication and at-home remedies:

Over-the-counter cough and cold medications for children under six years of age are not recommended. 

• For cough in a child older than one year give a teaspoon of honey. You can give this honey plain; mix with warm apple juice or warm lemonade or in a glass of water with fresh squeezed lemon. Honey will help to soothe the throat and lemon will help to break up congestion.
• If your child is less than 1 year of age, do NOT give honey. However, you can try some warm water or warm apple juice to soothe the throat.
• Offer your child plenty of fluids.
• Antihistamine such as Benadryl, Claritin, Zyrtec (or their generic counterparts), may help if their symptoms are due to allergies, however they will not help a cough from an infection. Discuss with your doctor about the need for trialing these medicines and/ or the role of allergy testing.

when to contact your child’s doctor’s office

• If your child has a fever 
• Difficulty breathing – breathing harder or faster, wheezing
• Vomiting or refusing/ unable to drink fluids
• Cough lasting longer than 1 month

what about this whooping cough everyone is talking about?

We have been having an increasing number of children in the Dayton Community in recent months being diagnosed with whooping cough, aka Pertussis. Although we have a vaccine for Pertussis that many children receive as a routine part of their immunization schedule, immunity from this vaccine reduces over time. We recommend a booster dose to all children at age 11 years before they enter 7^th grade. We also recommend all adults receive a booster dose.

Pertussis, aka whooping cough, causes a terrible prolonged cough. This illness is also known as the 100 day cough. The cough often occurs in bursts causing a prolonged staccato cough that may cause vomiting or take someone’s breath away. For the younger infants and the elderly this illness can be deadly. The illness often starts like a cold with runny nose, congestion and cough. But over 1-2 weeks the cough becomes worse, not better, a sign that you need to have the child evaluated by a medical professional.