Cough in children: features of diagnosis and choice of therapy

Introduction. Cough is the most common symptom of acute respiratory infections, which results from inflammation of the upper and lower respiratory tract. Herbal medicines that include an ivy leaf extract preparation are widely used for the treatment of cough.Aim. To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the ivy leaf extract preparation as a syrup in young children with acute bronchitis. Materials and methods. We observed 44 children with acute bronchitis aged 4 months up to 3 years. The main group included 24 children receiving the ivy leaf extract preparation as part of complex therapy: 2.5 ml once a day for under 1-year children, and 2.5 ml 3 times a day for children aged 1–3 years for 7–10 days. The comparison group included 20 children receiving ambroxol at an age-appropriate dose as part of complex therapy. The complex therapy for bronchitis did not differ in the groups to be compared. Clinical effectiveness was assessed by analysis of the changes in the main symptoms of the disease.Results and discussion. It was found that the intake of the ivy leaf extract preparation showed high clinical effectiveness in 91.6% of cases, which included rapid relief of the main symptoms of the disease (cough, wheezing in the lungs), a 1.7-fold reduction of the exacerbation period, a 1.8-fold decrease of the cough period. Prescription of systemic antibiotics for children with acute bronchitis was required in 12.5% patients of the treatment group, and in 25% patients of the comparison group. The overall assessment of tolerability of the ivy leaf extract preparation was rated as excellent and good in 95.8% of cases.Conclusion. Due to high clinical effectiveness and safety of the ivy leaf extract preparation, it can be recommended for common practical use in acute bronchitis children from the first days of life.