Tis the Season . . . Coughs and Colds
By Dr. Cynthia Smooth
I love this time of the year! I enjoy the cool weather, drinking hot chocolate, and sitting by the fire! However, winter brings a lot of runny noses! Many of you may have experienced what I have over the past few weeks. Colds passed back and forth from one family member to another. It seems just as my children get over one cold, a new one starts.
A cold or upper respiratory infection is a viral infection of the nose and throat. Many different viruses cause colds, and they are very common. Healthy children on average will have 6 – 10 colds per year. Upper respiratory infections usually start with a sore throat, fever, and runny nose. The nasal discharge may start clear but often becomes cloudy, yellow, or green. Colds are often associated with a cough, hoarseness, decreased appetite, watery eyes, and swollen glands in the neck Typically the infection takes about 10 days to run its course. Days 2-5 are often the worst. The fever usually lasts 3 days and the cough may linger for 2-3 weeks.
The flu is a bad cold and is caused by different strains of the influenza virus. Flu makes you feel achy all over and high fevers may last up to 6 days. We had an unusually large outbreak in October, but the number of flu patients has dropped significantly since. There is a nationwide shortage on the vaccine now, but consider it for your children next year. It is recommended down to 6 months and is usually available the first part of October.
It is never fun to have a cold, but it is especially painful to watch your child struggle through one, especially infants. After the first cold my baby had, I learned to never again tell a mom, “It’s just a cold.” So, what can we do for our precious little ones when they are sick? Unfortunately, since colds are caused by viruses, antibiotics will not cure them. There are some antiviral medications available for the flu in children one year or older that may help shorten the duration of the flu.
The best treatment is old fashioned – lots of rest, plenty of fluids, and a humidifier. If your child has fever, treat with acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Ibuprofen should only be used on children over 6 months of age.
Most over the counter cold medications do not help that much. They never seem to make much of a difference for my children, so I tend not to use them. Most are safe as long as you do not mix medications together.
I like using nasal saline drops to irrigate the nose and suctioning out what I can with a bulb syringe. This is particularly important in infants prior to feeds because they cannot breathe through the mouth and suck at the same time. Cleaning the skin and applying petroleum jelly to the nasal openings may help prevent irritation.
Colds will go away on their own; however, 5-10% of the time children will develop secondary complications such as ear infections, sinus infections, or pneumonia. So, the question most people have is, “When do I call my doctor?”
Of course, anytime you are really worried about your child, call your doctor. Trust your instincts, moms usually know when something just isn’t right. Your child should be seen by a doctor if he or she has difficulty or rapid breathing or wheezing, if fever lasts longer than three days, if the runny nose lasts longer than ten days, or if the cough lasts longer than three weeks. If the fever goes away and then recurs several days into the illness, this could be a sign of a secondary infection.
The cold will pass, but do what you can to not pass it on to others. The cold viruses are spread from one person to another by hand contact, coughing, and sneezing. Washing your hands can dramatically decrease the spread of the virus!
So, as awful as it is to see your child sick, try to make the time fun. Plan to stay home, load up on fluids, use medications judiciously, read books, watch videos, and rest. Your playgroup and everybody else will understand why you are not there and be thankful you are not sharing the infection!
Please don’t hesitate to ask me if you have questions about this article or anything else. An excellent resource for colds and other childhood illnesses can be found at www.texaschildrenshospital.com. Click on Parent Resource Center then Tips For Parents.
Cindy Smoot, M.D., F.A.A.P. and Mommy
Dr. Smoot is an associate at Humble Pediatrics
