Among the medical appointments for children with laryngitis, you can sometimes see a drug called Berodual. It is often prescribed for false croup, a serious complication in which the child has a spasm of the larynx and severe shortness of breath. But does Berodual help with laryngitis in children? To understand this issue, you need to learn more about such a medicine and its effect on the body of a small patient.
The effect of the drug and indications for use
The main effect of such a drug is to eliminate spasm and associated shortness of breath that occurs with obstruction of the lungs and bronchial asthma. The active components of Berodual (ipratropium bromide, supplemented with fenoterol) affect the smooth muscles of the small bronchi and cause them to relax. In addition, they reduce the swelling of the walls of the bronchi, stimulate breathing and relax the walls of blood vessels.
This causes the demand for Berodual for:
- Bronchial asthma.
- Spasm of the bronchi due to chronic bronchitis with obstruction.
- Emphysematous changes in the lungs.
How it looks and how it is applied
Such a drug is available in two forms - vials with 20 ml of solution (it is intended for inhalation in a nebulizer) and pocket aerosol cans (one package contains 200 doses of the drug). For inhalation therapy, Berodual's solution is diluted with saline until a volume of 3 or 4 ml is obtained, after which inhalation with the diluted drug is carried out for 6-7 minutes.
The dosage of the drug is determined by the age and severity of bronchospasm. Inhalation with Berodual is not recommended for children under 6 years old. If there are indications for their conduct, the need for such treatment is assessed by the doctor in each case individually. Only a pediatrician can prescribe Berodual to a child who is not yet six years old.
Children 6-12 years old use from 10 to 60 drops (0.5-3 ml) for one inhalation, depending on the severity of the condition. For a child over 12 years old, the drug is prescribed in a dose of 10-80 drops (0.5-4 ml). The procedure can be performed up to four times a day.
If a can is used, then a child over 6 years old is prescribed 2 doses of the drug. If, after inhaling such an amount of Berodual, breathing does not ease, it is recommended to reapply it after 5 minutes. If the child re-inhaled 2 doses of Berodual in aerosol, and there is still no effect, you need to consult a doctor.
Features of use for laryngitis
Reviews of doctors and many parents confirm the high effectiveness of this medicine for bronchospasm. However, such a bronchodilator cannot provide the required therapeutic effect for inflammation of the larynx. This disease is manifested by sore throat, dry rough cough, hoarse voice, fever, shortness of breath and other signs. But Berodual does not affect any of the symptoms of laryngitis, therefore, treatment with other drugs is more preferable, depending on the cause of the inflammation.
Note that in childhood, laryngitis is often complicated by a false croup. With such a rather dangerous condition, the larynx swells, and its lumen narrows, which makes it difficult for air to pass through. The child has difficulty breathing in, and the mother hears very noisy breathing from the side. Because of such symptoms, many babies and parents are afraid of false croup, which can only complicate this condition.
It is this that most often causes the desire to inhale with medications that relieve spasm. And the choice often falls on Berodual, although in fact such a drug affects only the small bronchi, and at the level of the larynx it simply “does not work”. In addition, croup is a common problem for children under 5 years old, and many doctors, including Dr. Komarovsky, do not advise doing inhalation with Berodual at this age.
In addition, the drug can provoke various side effects, including a rapid heart rate, headache, trembling limbs, nausea, an allergic rash and other negative symptoms. Inhalation with Berodual is dangerous and the fact that some children have a paradoxical reaction to it, in which the spasm of the bronchi increases. For these reasons, it is not worth using Berodual in children with laryngotracheitis.
Analogs
If the child has developed laryngitis and is complicated by stenosis, it will be more expedient to do inhalation with saline or alkaline mineral water instead of Berodual. Such funds will soften the laryngeal mucosa and have an anti-inflammatory effect on it.
Also, children with laryngospasm are often advised to inhale with Pulmicort. This drug has a decongestant and anti-inflammatory effect. It belongs to glucocorticoid hormones and is used for asthma, allergic rhinitis, laryngitis and obstructive respiratory tract pathologies. Suspension Pulmicort is allowed from 6 months of age, and for inhalation, like Berodual, it is diluted with saline.
In the next video, Dr. Komarovsky will tell you how to inhale a child and with what drugs.
