Patient's question:
The child is five and a half months old. At first, a few days of diarrhea occurred. After applying the "Dinggui Ertu Patch" without improvement, they took two days of "Haokid" anti-inflammatory medicine. The diarrhea improved and worsened intermittently, with several episodes in a day. At night, the bowel movements were almost normal, but at other times, it was what is commonly referred to as diarrhea.Five days after the diarrhea started, the child began to cough. The first two days, it was just occasional coughs, which were not taken seriously. On the third day, the coughing became severe at night, sometimes accompanied by vomiting (previously, the child had been fed every time they vomited).
What should be done?
Doctor's answer:
Children are generally not suitable for the use of central nervous system depressants such as codeine, pholcodine, and dextromethorphan. The respiratory system of infants and young children is still immature, with poor cough reflex, narrow airway lumen, rich blood vessels, poor ciliary movement, and difficult mucus clearance. If strong cough suppressants are given at the slightest cough, although coughing may be temporarily stopped, the mucociliary transport function of ciliated epithelial cells on the tracheal mucosa and the contractile peristaltic function of bronchial smooth muscles are inhibited, making it difficult for mucus to be expelled smoothly. A large amount of mucus accumulates in the trachea and bronchi, affecting respiratory function. Codeine is contained in Fedexin, so attention should be paid to the dosage and timing of administration. Generally, more severe, irritating dry coughs can be treated with such cough suppressants, but they should be used on the basis of treating the underlying disease.For children with cough, it is advisable to choose cough suppressants that also have expectorant and mucolytic effects. Syrups are better than tablets. After taking syrup, it adheres to the pharyngeal mucosa, reducing irritation to the mucosa and achieving the purpose of cough suppression itself. When taking syrup, it should not be diluted with water, nor should it be taken with water.
Advice:
Vomiting (Vomiting) is one of the common symptoms in children. It can be caused by digestive system diseases or seen in various systemic and organ diseases. It can be a single symptom or one of the complex symptoms of multiple serious diseases. Therefore, any negligence can easily delay diagnosis or even endanger life. Thus, it is necessary to carefully analyze vomiting, identify the cause, and treat it promptly.