Children's Cough, Need Drugs?

Parents should be careful in giving a cough, especially in infants. If the cough is felt not too disturbing and dangerous, children should be given enough water or breast milk alone (younger than 6 months).

There are several types of cough medicines available in the market, such as expectorants and antitussives. According to a pediatrician at Women and Children's Hospital Hermina dr. Herbowo Soetomenggolo, for children under the age of 6 years, the use of antitussive cough medicines are not recommended because it can lead to more serious problems such as pneumonia.

"Coughing is the body's mechanism to remove mucus and germs. So how can children mucus or germs if given antitussives," said Herbowo as a media gathering in Jakarta, Monday (02/07/2012).

Antitussive is a compound that works by suppressing the cough center. This antitussive medications stop the cough stimulus, lowering the frequency and intensity of reflex cough cough due encouragement suppressed or inhibited.

Herbowo explained, giving antitussives would make mucus and germs settle in the lungs so it will breed. The incubation period (from incoming germs to cause disease) usually lasts 3-7 days. But, if the entry is a malignant germ pneumonia, in just one day could directly lead to symptoms of shortness and death.

"Hence, in children who are coughing this drug is not recommended. If children are under 6 months let alone drinking milk. Due milk and water are the most well-thinning phlegm," he said.

Herbowo advocate, if that cough in children looks very annoying and need medication, you should give thinning phlegm cough (expectorant) and medications that can help remove phlegm. The use of cough medicines in children is a last resort. When a child has a cough caused by the common cold, the symptoms without medication given cough will go away by itself.

"When cough lasting more than two weeks, you should see a doctor to find the cause, so the drugs given appropriate and targeted," he concluded.