Patient's question:
My baby is 9 months old. These past few days, he has been having white nasal discharge, no fever, and his condition is still relatively good. However, he has a rattling sound in his throat when drinking milk or sleeping, as if there is phlegm blocking it. Starting from yesterday, he has developed a slight cough. Could you please ask the expert what medicine the child should take?Doctor's answer:
Hello: Based on the symptoms, it is considered a childhood cold. When a child has a cold, it is advisable to rest in bed, eat liquid or soft foods, and temporarily reduce milk intake for infants. The room temperature should be stable, avoiding extremes of too high or too low. The relative humidity in the room is best between 50% and 60%.In recent years, the use of 10% ribavirin (vira) for local nasal drops in the upper respiratory tract has been effective against viral colds. For children under 2 years old, 2 drops per nostril on each side are applied; for those over 2 years old, 3 drops per nostril on each side. During high fever periods, 1 application every 15 minutes is started, totaling 4 times, followed by 1 application every 2 hours. The use is discontinued at night, and after the fever subsides, it is changed to 4 applications per day.
For nasal congestion, Neosynephrine mixture (10 mg neomycin, 5 mg hydrocortisone, 10 mg ephedrine, with normal saline added to 10 mL) can be used. It is applied to the nose before eating or before bed, 4 to 6 times per day, with 2 drops per nostril each time. For temperatures exceeding 38.5°C, aspirin at a dose of 10 mg/kg can be given every 4 to 6 hours, or physical cooling measures can be taken.
If complications occur, antibiotics should be considered.