Baby cold: know how to identify it or when it comes to something more serious
Categories: Baby Health , Baby Care
Tags: colds in children , baby cold , flu , baby
Little knowledge about how to proceed with babies with a cold is an issue that disturbs many moms and dads, even more so in this scenario of health chaos. But anyone who thinks that concern about the subject is a topic that has just emerged is wrong.
For some time, the symptoms associated with the flu or colds began to be treated with more attention by people. With the rise of lethal viruses such as the swine flu and – more recently – Covid-19, individuals in general have started to care more about headaches and runny nose.
The increased attention from the public is also due to the growing number of deaths and confirmed cases of the new coronavirus that emerged in China, which devastated the planet and caused impacts in various sectors, especially in areas such as health and economy.
If, for adults, care increases when symptoms common to the disease appear, in the case of babies – naturally more fragile – attention to indications of the possibility of contamination ends up being much more potentiated.
The alert is even greater if the child has symptoms that may indicate a respiratory infection.
In this sense, in order not to subject the baby to a test – which is often expensive and generates risks of contamination due to exposure to the hospital environment – which reveals the presence or absence of the Covid virus, there are other ways.
It's important to follow medical recommendations that allow you to differentiate a simple cold from a flu or even a coronavirus picture.
Therefore, the current scenario suggests that, when analyzing issues involving colds in babies, it is necessary to take into account several other aspects.
Differences between diseases
According to the positioning of part of the doctors, it is difficult to differentiate the picture of Influenza (H1N1) – popularly known as swine flu – from Covid 19, given the similarities in the symptoms of both infections.
Some medical studies point out that cases of Covid can trigger gastrointestinal disorders in babies. This would be one of the differentials of the virus that emerged recently in relation to the flu caused by the variation of Influenza.
In addition, problems in the respiratory system can be distinguished in the two viruses. In this way, it is necessary to make a pertinent differentiation between a cold and a flu .
In the first, the child does not usually have a low fever, usually presenting symptoms of runny nose, cough and sore throat. In general, in the presence of a cold in a baby, the little one is usually in good condition, even in the face of these possible symptoms.
In the second case, the little one may have a high fever and consequent malaise, which compromises breastfeeding, making him not want to breastfeed as much. Like the cold, the flu can cause a sore throat and cough.
In the event that the child has the most recent virus known to exist (the new coronavirus), the main alert for the presence of the disease is the throat. The little one usually has a dry cough, initially, to later generate, in many cases, phlegm.
Another frequent symptom is fever. However, his absence does not rule out the possibility that the child has Covid-19.
The main difference between coronavirus and influenza is the characteristic of the cough that the child usually has. While the first is more loaded, the second shows less presence of phlegm and more irritation in the throat.
Hospital? Only in dire need
Worried parents tend to take their children to the hospital, even to know exactly what is going on with the little ones. This attitude usually expresses concern on the part of those responsible for the child.
However, given the scenario of overcrowding and, in some cases, even the collapse of the health system, the decision to visit a hospital unit needs to be carefully considered and analyzed .
The risk of contamination due to the great exposure suffered by the baby is very high. And the health system, already full, may have its condition worsened.
To better explain the scenario to moms and dads, the following example can be adopted: an older child, around three years old, with a low fever, but who is eating well, does not need to go to the hospital.
Parents can stay at home, attentive to their status. Now, if the baby is very small, and has any signs that it is not breastfeeding, moaning and/or breathing discomfort, one should consider going there.
That's because, even if you don't have Covid, you may suffer from bronchitis, influenza or another illness.
The medical recommendation for this type of doubt generally indicates that the parents should consult the baby directly with the pediatrician who attends to the baby, if they have the condition, instead of going to a conventional hospital unit.
Going to the doctor specializing in children reduces the chances of contagion by Covid, whose forms of transmission are still being studied. In any case, even though the ways of contamination are not completely demystified, the most accepted points to the transmission of the virus through droplets that are prevalent in crowded places.
Conditions of aggravation of cold in baby
As if the constant stage of attention experienced by the whole world as a result of the pandemic were not enough, the arrival of colder seasons brings with it the appearance of different types of viruses. Among them, the rhinovirus, one of the most responsible for colds.
It is not just the climatic condition that autumn and winter provide that is responsible for the increase in the incidence of colds in babies. The consequence of these seasons, which includes the fact that humans spend more time indoors, contributes to the increase in cases.
Therefore, the approaching time of year, combined with the situation of instability in the health system and the greater spread of viruses caused by the pandemic, make the maxim that “there is little care” become valid.
When the baby catches a milder cold, it is recommended that he hydrate well. If it is up to six months old, this hydration should be done through breast milk. If you are older, it is valid to give more water throughout the day and wash your nose with saline solution.
Decongestants should not be used because of the side effects they have, which may be more harmful to the child than the benefits they bring.more
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