Acute and chronic laryngitis: treatment in children and its dangers
Inflammation of the larynx, called in the people falsecroup, is an inflammatory process in the larynx. The medical name for false croup is laryngitis. Treatment in children of this disease occurs with slight differences from adults. Most often, laryngitis occurs in the winter-spring period, and the most susceptible to the disease are boys, starting from the age of three months to 6-7 years.
Different respiratory viruses are the mostfrequent with such a disease as laryngitis. Treatment in children is prescribed taking into account all factors contributing to the development of laryngitis. A child's malnutrition, a lack of vitamins, weakened or overcooled children's body, dusty air, suffered measles or scarlet fever - all these reasons are also aiding the development of the acute form of the disease "laryngitis". Treatment in children should include measures to eliminate the environment favorable for the development of laryngitis.
Acute laryngitis itself does not belong tosevere forms of disease. However, the situation can aggravate various complications against the background of acute laryngitis, sometimes threatening the life of the child. Swelling of the mucous membrane of the inflamed larynx causes problems with the breathing of the baby, so the slightest suspicion of the development of acute laryngitis is the reason for an urgent call by a doctor or an ambulance. Due to weak immunity of the child, the disease is characterized by rapid development. To normal malaise is added a rise in temperature, the voice becomes hoarse or disappears altogether, a burning sensation in the throat is supplemented with a dry barking cough. Parents should pay special attention to the danger of breathing difficulties, the sign of suffocation is the blue lips of the baby. Having diagnosed the child with laryngitis, the doctor will tell you how to treat it. With timely treatment, acute laryngitis occurs within a few days.
In conditions of frequent relapses, the acute formlaryngitis becomes chronic. As a rule, it is preceded by measles or influenza laryngitis, a recently transferred respiratory tract infection or a strong vocal cord strain. During the period of voice mutation in adolescent children, accompanied by the growth of the larynx, there is also a high risk of developing a chronic course of the disease.
After revealing laryngitis, treatment in children begins withimmediate introduction of bed rest. The parents' task is the maximum 24-hour monitoring of the breathing of a sick child. An abundant warm alkaline drink is shown. It is possible to prescribe a distraction therapy in the form of foot baths or mustard plasters. In the presence of temperature, it is necessary to give the child an antipyretic. Excellent inhalation with solutions of furacillin or soda, a decoction of chamomile or St. John's wort, calendula or sage has proved to be excellent. The same remedy I use for gargling, which needs to be done very often.
From folk remedies, one can resort toburying in the nose of vegetable oil (a whole pipette in one nostril), while the child should be for some time in a horizontal position, and then stand up, causing, thus, the oil to flow down the back wall of the nasopharynx. It shows the drinking of warm milk diluted with mineral water or with the addition of honey.
Treatment of chronic laryngitis should take place inconditions of medical control. It is necessary to sanitize the nose and the area of the nasopharynx to ensure the baby breathing through the nose. A child during a period of exacerbation of the disease is prohibited from screaming, straining his voice. A throat is either lubricated with protargol or pulverized with 0.25-0.5% of tannin, soda or penicillin-containing aerosol.
When the doctor has diagnosed "laryngitis", the treatment of children should begin immediately, because the danger of a sudden attack of breathlessness due to laryngeal edema is very large.
