Reduce cough in children

Rain and heat now turns greets residents of this country. Yesterday rain, today was wallowing in the blazing sun. In the fickle air like this, when the body is not in a fit condition, cough and flu also diligently addressed. As experienced Kiki, 7-year-old boy. Elementary school children who actively began to feel pain in his throat. Occasionally he coughs, as the morning or evening. Like most mothers, the mother immediately took the cough drug delivery solutions. "Incidentally, the cough medicine a match with him. So, already prepared in the medicine cabinet at home," he said. Giving drugs that make the mother no longer feel anxious.

Actually there is no need to worry about the presence of cough in children. A child specialist of extreme mentions no child dies because of a cough. Dr Purnamawati Prostration Pujiarto, Spak, from the Medical Care Kemang, South Jakarta, also explained that basically cough is a reflex center in the brain settings. Cough reflex is also one of the body's defense system against foreign substances entering the airway. "When choked, when exposed to flu infection, excessive mucus coughed by the body will be," he said.

Habit cough medication is not only happening in this country. In the United States too, the parents are doing the same. Researchers from Boston University in May 2008 found nearly 10 children in the United States uses one or more cough and cold for a week. The researcher was a little surprised that the dosing frequency of cough medicine in children in the land of Uncle Sam is still not understood by the parents.

In the study also found that giving cough medicine is not only done on children aged 2-5 years, but less than 2 years. In fact, almost all types of drugs, 64.2 percent used more than one active ingredient. Lead author Louis Vernacchio, MD, said the consumption of cough or cold medicines for infants and children is not necessary. "To watch even harmful effects and lack of clinical evidence that treatment is effective for the kids," he said, as quoted by ScienceDaily.

Still lalainya parents about cough and cold dosage is evident from the trend of increasing number of children an overdose of cough and cold medicines in the form of syrup in a hospital emergency room. "We found many cases even parents immediately give medicine to your child's mouth directly from the bottle," said Dr. Richard Dart, Director of the Center for Drug and Toxicity Rocky Montain, Denver, as stated in the msnbc, 18 December. Bart mentions the danger of complications due to the use of cough and cold dosage improper child was already publicly known, but people are still not aware. This condition has made the National Agency of Food and Drug Administration in the United States last October urged companies child cough and cold medicines for inclusion of drug prohibition for children under 4 years. In fact, they are considering a ban its use for children under 12 years.

Agency for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States has expressly stated that a cough or sore throat does not require antibiotic therapy. "All you need is to multiply drinking, then the cough will subside because the mucus becomes thinner and more easily removed," said Wati. Cough appears due to increased production of sputum that is triggered by a viral infection or allergy. Specialist child is usually called Wati said, coughing due to influenza virus infection can last up to two weeks or more even if children are sensitive or allergic.


Most, Wati said the cause of cough in infants and young children are parainfluenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and influenza virus. "Cough be longer in older children from pertussis, mycoplasma pneumoniae, but most stay because of allergies and viral infections that usually do not need antibiotics," he said. He added that in older children, a cough that lasts more than 4 to 8 weeks, it is important to consider the possibility of airway hypersensitivity, foreign body aspiration, tuberculosis, pertussis, cystic fibrosis, or sinusitis. "In these conditions, a new antibiotic therapy should be considered."