If a child's runny nose does not go away within a week or two, we advise you to pay attention to possible causes.
But what could be the reason if the runny nose does not go away for a long time?
Allergic rhinitis
It accounts for approximately 30% of all cases of lingering rhinitis, according to the World Health Organization.
Pediatricians claim that the number of allergic rhinitis is constantly growing.
The main causes for this: heredity; improving living conditions (the fewer allergens around, the less trained the immune system, the higher the risk of allergies).How to determine that a child has allergic rhinitis:
- by the method of excluding a possible allergen (remove flowering plants from the house, take away from the pet for a while);
- using an analysis for immunoglobulin E - its increased level usually indicates that rhinitis is allergic in nature.
Important! With allergic rhinitis, nasal discharge is always watery, transparent.
If it is a bacterial or viral infection, then for 2-3 days the snot becomes thick and cloudy.
Unfavorable indoor climate
In a simple way - dry air and high air temperature. Especially important in winter, during the heating season.
When airing, the humidity in the room drops sharply, and when using heating devices, the air is additionally dried out.
Even if the child is sick, he has a runny nose, fever and cough, the temperature in the room should not be higher than 22 degrees.In this case, the child, of course, needs to be dressed so that he does not freeze.
Vasoconstrictor drops
According to the instructions, vasoconstrictor drops cannot be used for more than 5 days.
Otherwise, edema forms in the nasopharynx, which is removed by the same drops - and a vicious circle is obtained when the child does not breathe through his nose without drops.Rhinitis medication, which occurs in this case, should be treated by a pediatrician.
Weak immunity
A lingering runny nose can actually be several different rhinitis that overlap.
That is, the child caught one virus, just went on the mend - picked up another.
In this case, there is no need to rush to buy immunomodulators - only a doctor should prescribe their use.
Take care of the general strengthening of the child's immunity: walks in the fresh air, proper nutrition, physical activity, sufficient quality sleep, correct indoor climate, minimization stress.And, of course, consult your pediatrician.
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- childhood diseases that can be caused by psychosomatics
- DTP vaccination for a child: benefits and side effects
- 6 very harmful traditional medicine tips for treating children
