Experience in the use of phytotherapy in the treatment of bronchitis in children

Abstract

Introduction. Cough is one of the most common symptoms faced by a pediatrician in clinical practice. The most common cause of acute cough in children is a viral infection. A growing amount of scientific data indicates that phytotherapy is an effective and safe form of auxiliary treatment of acute and chronic inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract, accompanied by cough and sputum formation (tracheitis, tracheobronchitis, bronchitis).Aim. To evaluate the effectiveness of the use of herbal medicinal product (extract combination of thyme herb and Hedera helix leaves) in acute bronchitis, including in children with bronchitis of atypical etiology.Materials and methods. A comparative prospective follow-up of 60 outpatient patients aged 3–12 years with a diagnosis of Acute bronchitis was carried out. The patients were divided into groups: group 1 (n = 28) – receiving the phytopreparation, of which 8 children with mycoplasma bronchitis – a combination of herbal medicinal product + clarithromycin; group 2 (n = 32) – receiving ambroxol, of which 10 patients with mycoplasma bronchitis – a combination of ambroxol + clarithromycin. Patients were included in the study for 2–3 days of the disease, control points of examinations – 6–7 days and 10–12 days. The time period of the study is 2019–2021.Results. Against the background of taking the drug herbal medicinal product, there was a faster decrease in cough episodes (from 85 to 10% of patients), the transfer of dry cough to wet, as well as normalization of daily activities (95%), compared with ambroxol. The maximum effect was achieved by the 10th day of observation. In atypical bronchitis, results were obtained confirming the effectiveness and safety of using the drug herbal medicinal product with an antibiotic.Conclusions. The results obtained indicate the expediency of using the drug herbal medicinal product in acute bronchitis, including in combination with an antibiotic for bronchitis of atypical etiology.