CCTV news: According to the latest influenza surveillance released by the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since January, the positive rate of influenza virus testing in my country's northern and southern provinces has continued to decline, but the number of respiratory disease consultations in various places has remained at a high level, with Cough patients account for a relatively high proportion, and some hospitals have specially opened cough clinics for this purpose.

　　According to doctors, coughing is actually a protective reflex of the human body and a natural reaction of the body to clear foreign matter and secretions from the respiratory tract.

During the interview, the reporter found that many patients, especially children, have recovered from respiratory diseases, but their coughs are still bad. Most of them present as irritating dry coughs or coughs accompanied by a small amount of white mucus sputum. Chest X-rays show no abnormalities. A cough that doesn't heal makes many parents feel anxious.

Doctors recommend that you first determine whether the cough is acute or chronic. If it is a chronic cough, it is recommended to confirm whether there is an underlying disease.

　　Shen Kunling, Chief Physician of the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Beijing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University: If it lasts for more than 4 weeks, we call it chronic cough, but within 4 weeks it is called acute cough, so for some children, for example, it will basically be fine after 2, 3, or 4 weeks. , that’s no problem.

However, some patients will have a cough that lasts for more than 4 weeks. There are several reasons to consider. The first one is that the original influenza A may be particularly severe, or the influenza A may be followed by influenza B, or the influenza A may be followed by mycoplasma, or the influenza A may be followed by mycoplasma. Later, there is a bacterial infection. This mixed infection will cause more damage to the epithelium, so he will continue to cough. Another situation depends on whether the child has a basic problem. The most common basic problem is that the child has allergy.

[Expert Tips] Avoid blindly suppressing coughs and overusing antibiotics

　　Doctors said that cough after respiratory infection is very common. If it lasts within 4 weeks and the condition does not worsen, there is no need to go to the hospital repeatedly.

In home care for post-infectious cough, the most common misunderstandings are blind antitussives and overuse of antibiotics. Overuse of cough suppressants may inhibit the natural clearing process of the respiratory tract and prolong the course of the disease.

　　Shen Kunling, Chief Physician of the Respiratory Department of Beijing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University: It is still not recommended to use central antitussives for children. First of all, cough has its own protective effect on the body, and after removing the cause, many coughs will actually be relieved.

Many parents are very anxious, and then they start to take medicine randomly when they start to cough. When asked what medicine to use, they will say that I used antibiotics. If you ask what antibiotics to use, they don’t know.

These antibiotics are the ones left over from the last time he got sick, so I'm using them on him now.

In fact, this is not standardized. First of all, it is abused, then it is not effective when it should be used, and there is not enough treatment when it should be used. These will cause the child's condition to be delayed.

　　Experts remind that antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections, and children's organ functions are not yet fully developed. Improper use of medication may cause some adverse reactions, cause organ damage, etc.

Children are not smaller versions of adults. It is not advisable to abuse drugs or use drugs at will. The safety and effectiveness of medication must be considered, and medication must be used under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.

[Expert Tip] Correct nebulization treatment can relieve chronic cough

　　No matter what the cause is, recovery from chronic cough requires a process. During this period, the child frequently coughs and even affects eating and sleeping. At this time, the doctor will recommend using nebulization to relieve symptoms.

So what issues need to be paid attention to when doing atomization?

　　Although atomization treatment is very common in clinical practice, we learned during the interview that many parents still think that using atomization treatment means that their children's condition is more serious. In fact, atomization inhalation is a method to help restore the mucosal barrier. Through inhalation, The aerosol containing medicine acts directly on the lesion, reducing inflammation of the mucosa, reducing sputum, and helping the mucosa recover. Once the mucosa recovers, the cough will naturally be relieved.

At present, aerosol treatment is mainly used for post-infectious cough, wheezing in infants and young children, cough variant asthma, etc.

　　Shen Kunling, Chief Physician of the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Beijing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University: Generally speaking, when using (aerosol) medication, we must master the five R principles, which are the five correct ones: the right patient, the right drug, the right way to use it, and the right way to use it. The course of treatment, the correct device, etc.

The atomization effect when crying is worse than the atomization effect when quiet, so it is best to allow the child to be in a quiet state, such as watching cartoons, and inhale normally in a quiet state.

In addition, you must pay attention to the course of treatment and have enough treatment.