Stridor is noisy wheezing caused by difficulty passing air through the airways. This symptom often develops in children under 3 years of age as a result of a variety of reasons. Severe forms of stridor can lead to suffocation, therefore, require immediate medical attention.
In newborns, stridor may be congenital, which is associated with intrauterine developmental abnormalities. Other reasons for the development of this symptom are airway edema as a result of an allergic reaction, paralysis of the vocal cords, various tumors, foreign bodies trapped in the airways. Sometimes acute attacks of stridor can occur against the background of an infectious disease and inflammation of the larynx.
Often, the stridor can manifest itself only in the relatively noisy breathing of the child while maintaining a general stable state. However, during bronchitis, acute respiratory illness or pneumonia, this syndrome can rapidly develop into a critical form. Shortness of breath and a wheezing sound on inhalation, often accompanied by crying, which makes breathing even more difficult.
Parents need to call an ambulance as soon as possible. While waiting for the doctor, the child should be reassured. This is best done by focusing the child's attention on toys or your actions, such as clapping your hands. Cool the room. Open the window or turn on the air conditioner, you can stand with your child wrapped in a blanket at the open window or go out to the balcony. Cool air helps to reduce airway swelling.
Arriving doctors must provide the child with qualified assistance, the nature of which depends on his condition at the moment. Medication therapy may include inhalation using hormonal drugs to relieve swelling. Also, when inhaled, adrenaline can be used, which helps to stabilize the general condition of the patient. It is important to know that children who have once survived a stridor still have the threat of a re-development of an attack, therefore, it is necessary to carefully monitor their breathing and seek medical help at the first alarming symptoms.
