Cough and fever in a child

A child's body has quite definite differences from an adult's, so it is not surprising that a child can get a disease that many do not even remember (or do not know about at all) in adult life. And "adult" diseases in a child proceed differently: more acutely, with pronounced symptoms, although outwardly it may seem that the baby is not bothered by much.

Acute viral infections are accompanied by a rapid and strong increase in temperature. The child's thermoregulation mechanism is still imperfect, so the appearance of fever during colds and some other diseases should not surprise parents. You just need to make sure that the thermometer does not rise too high. Doctors do not recommend bringing down a temperature of up to 38 degrees during viral infections. But if it rises further, you need to focus on the child's condition.

In children, the usual symptoms of colds (cough, runny nose, sneezing, high temperature, weakness, redness and sore throat) are often accompanied by non-specific ones. These include nausea, vomiting, and sometimes even diarrhea. This greatly confuses parents and makes them think about all sorts of terrible diagnoses. In fact, we are usually talking about more severe intoxication than in adults (both in the case of respiratory and food infections).

But you shouldn't relax, because a high temperature and cough in a child can be associated with quite dangerous childhood diseases. It is also important to understand that in some cases, a cough is a symptom of the disease itself, while in others it can indicate the development of dangerous bacterial complications.

Whooping cough is an incredibly contagious infectious disease that affects children from birth to 14 years of age. Vaccinations, of course, reduce the likelihood of infection, but cannot completely eliminate it. In adolescents and adults, the disease usually does not cause the appearance of pronounced acute symptoms, which cannot be said about children, who can even die.

A cough and high temperature in a child may well be the first signs of whooping cough, because they are typical for the catarrhal period, although sometimes there is no rise in temperature. But a cough (very typical: dry, obsessive, which is difficult to stop even with medication) is almost always detected in children. The symptom worsens as the disease progresses, exhausting the sick child. Previously, the following symptom was considered the most specific: coughing fits occur on exhalation, followed by a "whistling" inhalation. Today, with whooping cough, a cough is also diagnosed when a coughing fit occurs immediately after inhalation.

The cough in whooping cough is paroxysmal. One attack may consist of 3-10 coughing fits or more. Sputum is difficult to remove, since it is characterized by high viscosity. When coughing, the child's face begins to turn blue, the blood vessels in the neck swell, there is a risk of respiratory arrest. Relief comes when the sputum comes away or after vomiting.

High temperature with whooping cough lasts only in the first days, and the cough can torment the baby even more than 1.5 months. True, the frequency of attacks gradually becomes less, and the cough itself is no different from a common cold. But at the same time, the residual cough in the child can remind of itself for another six months. [ 1 ]

The diagnosis of "croup" refers to widespread inflammation of both the upper and lower respiratory tracts, the causative agent of which is considered to be the parainfluenza virus. The disease affects the larynx, trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles, the internal tissues of the lung. A lot of inflammatory exudate accumulates in the respiratory tract and severe swelling occurs, which leads to a phenomenon called obstruction, i.e., to a violation of the patency of the respiratory tract.

This widespread inflammation is typical for small children under 3 years old, whose immune system is not yet able to fight the infection. The onset of the disease resembles an upper respiratory tract infection, then the voice becomes hoarse and a spasmodic barking cough appears, which intensifies at night. Parents also note the child's noisy, wheezing breathing. Listening reveals bilateral wheezing.

Due to respiratory failure, the child's skin may acquire a bluish tint, the pulse quickens, and short-term breath holding is possible. Half of the children experience a fever during the illness.

Measles is not necessarily a childhood disease, but it is much more severe in young children than in schoolchildren and adults. The onset of the acute period of the disease generally resembles a cold with a high temperature and a cough that gradually intensifies. After 2-3 days from the appearance of the first signs of a cold, a significant increase in temperature to 39-40 degrees is noted, and a specific small-papular rash appears on the skin, prone to merging into larger foci (first on the neck, then spreading to the body and limbs). Cold symptoms, including cough and temperature, subside on the 4-5th day after the rash appears. Until this time, the child feels unwell, suffers from fever and a painful cough. [ 2 ]

Scarlet fever is a disease that is usually diagnosed in children aged 2-8 years. It is caused by group A streptococcus. Like many other infectious and inflammatory diseases, it often begins with a temperature rise to 39 degrees, headache, nausea (sometimes vomiting), weakness, the throat turns very red, swells and hurts, the tongue becomes bright crimson. The temperature lasts for about a week. Almost immediately, a small red rash appears all over the body (except for the nasolabial triangle), which is concentrated in the form of pigmented stripes in the folds. [ 3 ]

Coughing with scarlet fever occurs very rarely. Usually this symptom appears during a severe course of the disease or its complications, for example, with pneumonia.

Chickenpox is a childhood disease that can also affect adults, although in the latter it is more severe and prone to various complications. Most often, the disease is diagnosed in children under 8 years of age, who have not yet developed immunity to the pathogen (zoster virus). [ 4 ]

This pathology begins immediately with a rash that quickly spreads over the body, looking like pimples and yellow blisters. Most children tolerate the disease easily, but in some cases it can proceed with a noticeable increase in temperature during the entire period while the blisters appear.

Usually, the vesicular rash resolves without complications: the rash elements burst and dry up. If the rash spreads to the mucous membrane of the throat or to the face, a bacterial complication (in this case, the rash begins to fester), a cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat and other unpleasant symptoms appear.

If there is no cough or runny nose, but the temperature is high, it is unlikely that we are talking about respiratory diseases. If it is not overheating or teething, then the increase in temperature will be an indicator of ill health. It is quite possible that we are talking about an inflammatory process, but its localization can be different. Here it is necessary to take into account other emerging symptoms, the baby's condition, his behavior.

As we can see, diagnosing diseases accompanied by cough and fever is not an easy task. It is very difficult for a non-specialist to understand when it is a common cold, and in what cases a child is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. And is it worth the risk of trying to diagnose yourself and riskily prescribing questionable treatment?