Why Do Babies Have Constricted Lungs and Low O2
Animate issues to expect out for in children
Breathing problems in children can have a number of different causes. This page tells yous what signs to look out for and what they might mean, from coughing or a runny nose to wheezing, fast animate or coloured fungus.
Telephone call 999 now if your child has any of these breathing-related symptoms:
- Severe breathing difficulties
- Grunting with the attempt of trying to breathe
- The muscles nether their ribs are sucking in with each breath
- Fast breathing
- Your kid won't wake up, or won't stay awake
- Breathing stops for more than than xx seconds
- Regular shorter pauses in their animate while they are awake
- Very stake or blue skin, or the inside of their lips and tongue are blueish
- Plumbing fixtures, if they accept never had a fit before
What signs and symptoms are linked with breathing problems?
The following signs and symptoms can all arrive difficult for your child to breathe.
- a runny olfactory organ, blocked nose and sneezing
- a cough
- breathing problems
- a loftier temperature
- drowsiness
- bug with feeding and drinking
- aches and pains, sore throat, earache
- coloured fungus
- a change in pare colour
Runny olfactory organ, blocked nose and sneezing
A runny nose is usually caused by a cold.
Sometimes information technology's caused by an allergy – this is often called hay fever.
If your kid'due south runny olfactory organ is caused by allergies, they may be more likely to accept asthma and problems sleeping too.
Coughing
Everyone coughs from fourth dimension to time. A cough helps clear the airway of mucus and things similar dust and smoke. An occasional cough is non usually a sign of anything serious.
More persistent coughs are due to a common cold or viral infection that usually clears up in a few days. Some coughs comport on for a few weeks after the infection has cleared. Common cough medicines practice non stop coughing and are non recommended. If your kid is older than 1 year, you could give them beloved to help soothe their pharynx. Dearest must not exist given to infants under 12 months.
Visit your medico if:
- your child is vomiting later they cough
- has bouts of coughing that last over a infinitesimal several times a day, or
- has a cough that lasts for longer than 3-4 weeks
It is very helpful to doctors and nurses if you can video the cough on your mobile phone. This is because different coughs are signs of different conditions:
- croup (barking cough)
- bronchiolitis (raspy and moist cough)
- whooping coughing (bouts of coughing where your kid may bring up mucus or vomit. They may gasp after coughing, or make a whooping noise)
- asthma (unremarkably a dry cough). If your child has asthma they may cough more than at night. Symptoms might besides be brought on by hot or humid weather, or cold or clammy air or fume.
- long term conditions similar cystic fibrosis and primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) (constant moisture cough)
Breathing problems
It'southward important to seek help if your child is breathing in a different way than usual. Check out when to telephone call 999 and when to go to the doctor.
Fast breathing can exist a sign of an infection of the lower airways, such as bronchiolitis or pneumonia. All children are different, but as a rough guide, fast animate tin can be defined every bit:
- more fifty breaths per minute for infants (ii months to one year)
- more than than 40 breaths per minute for children (1-12 years)
- more than 20 breaths per minute for children over 12 and adults.
The chief thing to watch out for is if your kid is breathing persistently faster than usual.
Wheezing is a loftier-pitched sound that comes from the chest when your child is breathing out. Wheezing is a mutual symptom of asthma. However wheezing can accept many causes, so it does not necessarily mean your child has asthma.
Nosotros know that unlike doctors, nurses and parents all mean something unlike by wheeze. If your child is well enough, a video on your mobile telephone is a very helpful mode of showing the nurse or doctor what happens.
Breathlessness or difficulty breathing that becomes worse over a few hours could be a sign of an asthma attack.
Pneumonia and chest infections can also cause breathlessness. Children ordinarily have a fever with these weather condition.
Sudden and unexpected breathlessness or difficulty breathing could mean your child has something blocking their airway and is choking.
Difficulty animate during practise can be a sign of asthma.
What do breathing difficulties look like?
- Breathing may be faster than usual, or irregular
- Your child's nostrils may flare (get wider) when they breathe
- They may wheeze when breathing out
- They may make a loftier-pitched sound when breathing in (stridor)
- They may make a grunting sound when breathing out. Call 999 if this happens
- The muscles under their ribs may suck in with each jiff. Call 999 for urgent medical help.
Find out when to call 999 nearly your child'due south breathing difficulties
High temperature
A fever is a loftier temperature. In children, a temperature of over 38C (100.4F) is a fever.
What'south causing my kid's fever?
A high temperature tin be a sign of infection – including infections in the upper respiratory tract and lungs. Fever helps children and adults to fight infection.
Your child'southward fever could likewise be caused by other illnesses, or by vaccinations.
In itself, a fever is not dangerous. It is the cause of the fever that is the concern. Always seek medical advice if you are worried.
NHS advice on fever
The NHS website has more information on temperature and fever.
They recommend that y'all seek urgent assistance if your child:
- is under 3 months and has a temperature of 38C (101F) or over
- is 3-half-dozen months and has a temperature of 39C (102F) or over
Contact your GP for an urgent appointment. Out of hours, telephone call NHS 111 (in England and Scotland), 0845 46 47 (in Wales) or your local out-of-hours service in Northern Ireland.
The NHS likewise suggests yous should always get medical assistance for your child of any age who has a loftier temperature if:
- you call back your child may be dehydrated
- your child develops a red rash that doesn't fade when a glass is rolled over it
- your child has a fit
- your child doesn't stop crying
- the fever lasts for more than 5 days
- your child'south health is getting worse
- you're concerned about looking after your child at dwelling house
Treating a fever in hospital
A high temperature will make your kid feel poorly, have a faster breathing rate and a faster pulse. Children who are becoming severely sick will too have faster breathing and a faster pulse.
Health care professionals may care for a temperature to see if the pulse and animate are slower without the fever.
Drowsiness
If your child has a loftier temperature (fever) they may also be drowsy or confused.
Children with a temperature often lack involvement or are more sleepy or irritable than usual. They ordinarily better after taking children'due south paracetamol or ibuprofen to bring their temperature downwards.
Seek urgent assistance from your GP or health visitor if your child is drowsy and:
- has other symptoms of breathing difficulty
- doesn't improve after taking paracetamol or ibuprofen
Out of hours, phone call NHS 111 (in England and Scotland), 0845 46 47 (in Wales) or your local out-of-hours service in Northern Ireland.
Telephone call 999 if you're unable to wake your child or, if woken upward, they are very drowsy and don't stay awake.
Bug with feeding and drinking
Problems with feeding and drinking can be a sign of a problem with the lungs and airways.
Your child may not be feeding or drinking if:
- they have an infection and a high temperature
- they are struggling to feed and exhale at the same time
Seek help if your child is having difficulty breastfeeding or they are drinking one-half, or less than half, the amount they usually would. They may need to go to hospital to make sure they get enough food and fluid.
Aches and pains
Chest hurting, headaches and other aches and pains can be symptoms of a chest infection.
A tight, sore chest tin be a sign of asthma.
Babies and small-scale children practise usually not complain nearly aches and pains. But they might be irritable if you pick them up.
If your child is older they might say, 'My chest'due south hurting' or 'I've got a tummy ache'.
Coloured mucus
Mucus protects your child's airways. It traps unwanted particles and carries them abroad.
Mucus can be a problem if it doesn't work properly or if there's too much of it. A build-up of mucus in your child's airways is called catarrh.
Immature children commonly eat their fungus and then you may non know what colour it is.
Only if y'all are able to encounter information technology, yellowish, green or brownish mucus is a sign of infection or allergy. It might non be serious or need handling. For instance, green mucus running from their nose tin be acquired past mild infections that don't need antibiotics.
A change in peel colour
A alter in your kid's pare colour may hateful they do not have enough oxygen in their blood or their circulation is poor.
Call 999 if:
- your child's skin is very pale and they take other symptoms of an infection or difficulty breathing
- your child's skin looks blue
- the inside of their lips and tongue are blueish.
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Source: https://www.blf.org.uk/support-for-you/signs-of-breathing-problems-in-children/breathing-problems-to-look-out-for
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