Patient's question:
The daughter has been having a fever and coughing, and it hasn't been long since she started to get better when she began to have a fever again. Each time she has a fever, it lasts for a long time, and she also keeps coughing for a long time before she gets better. This time is the same—her nasal discharge is gone, but she still coughs in the morning and evening. It's very worrying.What kind of assistance is needed: The child keeps coughing, and what should be done to help?
Doctor's answer:
Coughing is a normal physiological protective reflex, the only way for the body to completely clear respiratory mucus. Children under 3 years old have poor cough reflexes, making it difficult for them to expel mucus. If parents immediately give strong cough suppressants when the child coughs, the cough may temporarily stop, but the mucus cannot be expelled smoothly, accumulating in large amounts in the trachea and bronchi, which can lead to tracheal obstruction. Additionally, a few gentle coughs when a child goes to bed in the morning are a physiological phenomenon, simply clearing mucus that has accumulated in the respiratory tract overnight. Parents need not worry about this.