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Laryngeal cough wakes you up and with its barking sound terrifying. A barking cough is a symptom of laryngeal diseases, accompanied by shortness of breath and inspiratory wheezing. Laryngitis develops rapidly, and the cough itself appears unexpectedly. Find out about the causes, symptoms and treatment of laryngeal cough.
Laryngeal cough – causes
It usually occurs in children under 8 and unfortunately likes to relapse. Sometimes this type of cough occurs in the first few months of life. What does a laryngeal cough sound like? It is a very tiring cough that occurs in conjunction with breathlessness and inspiratory wheezing. The cough is so disruptive it wakes the baby from sleep. You need to react immediately, e.g. wrap your baby in a blanket and go out into the cold air. The airways of babies and toddlers are very narrow, and even a slight swelling causes breathing problems. The cold air constricts the larynx and makes normal breathing return. A barking cough occurs in the case of laryngeal infection, which occurs a few days after a viral infection similar to a cold, manifested by runny nose, hoarseness and low-grade fever. Another cause of laryngeal cough is trauma to the larynx or the presence of a foreign body in the larynx and esophageal reflux. In these cases, the cough also appears suddenly, you hear wheezing, choking, and the cough is red in the face. Sometimes a laryngeal cough occurs as a result of a congenital defect of the larynx, e.g. laryngeal laxity, a tumor, cysts, which also appear in infants.
Laryngeal cough – symptoms
Coughing is a positive reflex in our body. It appears to clear the respiratory tract of residual pollen and irritating factors. A cough is also a symptom of a cold or an allergy, sometimes it is harmless and sometimes requires treatment. A barking cough is one type of cough that requires a specialized approach. A laryngeal cough sounds like a dog barking. It is a dry cough, very tiring, even described as choking. During an attack of barking cough, an adult or a child is accompanied by a complete inability to speak, coughs, and hears breathing sounds. To alleviate the symptoms of laryngeal cough, provide fresh air to the patient, open the window wide, or take the patient to the balcony. After a few moments, the attack should stop.
Laryngeal cough – treatment
Treatment may take place at home, but sometimes, usually in young children, there is a need for hospital treatment. An attack of laryngeal cough requires consultation with a doctor, even if it is a single episode related to the disease. Someone may ask: laryngeal cough and allergy? Sometimes an allergy causes laryngeal edema, and if the doctor determines an allergy, he or she prescribes appropriate inhalation or anti-breath medications in tablets. In the case of laryngeal cough, it is important to hydrate the body and moisturize the respiratory tract with inhalation from a saline solution with the addition of steroid drugs recommended by the doctor.
- Laryngeal cough – inhalation medications are most often in the form of drops, correct inhalation should last up to 5 to 15 minutes, before it is performed, lubricate the child’s face with vitamin ointment so that steroids do not cause skin irritation, the inhaler mask must adhere tightly to the face, To ensure that as much of the smoke from the inhalation is released into the airways, when the container into which the droplets are poured is empty, add a few drops of saline and inhale it to make sure that the entire prescribed dose is taken. Finally, wash your face and rinse your mouth with fluids. The laryngeal cough is treated with steroids, which can cause mouth and lip irritation, some patients may develop a rash, the physician should inform about the possible side effects of inhalation with steroids. It should be remembered that the benefit of inhalation is greater than the possible side effects. Steroid drugs dilate the bronchial tree, prevent shortness of breath, calm the breath.
- Laryngeal cough – drugs can be administered by inhalation, intravenous or intramuscular route, it all depends on the strength of the barking cough attack and the type of breathlessness. In severe cases, it may be necessary to perform intubation.
- Laryngeal cough – foreign bodies that get stuck in the respiratory tract should be removed as soon as possible, which requires professional medical attention. A tracheotomy may be performed by cutting open the cartilage of the trachea and inserting a tube into the opening to allow air to enter.
To speed up the treatment of cough, you can use an infusion prepared on the basis of For cough – a herbal mixture for children, which you can buy at a favorable price and in a large package on Medonet Market.
Most often, barking cough is a symptom of laryngitis, but in adults its appearance is associated with hormonal disorders, reflux disease, smoking, allergies, so it is important to determine the cause and treat it correctly.