Do you know that your toddler can still drown even when they are no longer in water? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths for 1-14-year-olds is drowning. Therefore, it is extremely important to keep an eye on your toddlers when they are playing around the water. Also, you must look out if your toddler shows symptoms of dry drowning. Now let’s see more information on Dry Drowning.
What is Dry Drowning?
Dry Drowning is a term used to describe a delayed reaction to water inhalation, where water does not enter the lungs, but causes the vocal cords to spasm and close up, making breathing difficult. It can happen within a minute or hours after the baby emerges from the water.
Dry drowning is different from typical drowning. The usual drawing happens when water fills the lungs. However, Dry drowning occurs when a small amount of water causes spasms in the vocal cord. It can close off the airway. Usually, dry drowning symptoms appear within 24 hours after the water incident.
How can you identify Dry Drowning?
There are plenty of symptoms of Dry Drowning. They are,
- Breathing difficulties
You can see rapid or shallow breathing as a symptom of dry drowning. Nostril flaring. Making more effort to breathe.
- Coughing
Wheezing or persistent coughing
- Chest pain
Chest discomfort or pain
- Changes in behavior
Drop in energy level. This condition is caused by not getting enough oxygen to the brain.
- Vomiting
Sudden vomiting is a symptom of breathing difficulties.
- High fever
What factors can enhance the risk of Dry Drowning?
Here the factors that make someone more likely to drown should be considered. They are,
-
Age
Children are more likely to drown. They have a higher risk of drowning due to their lack of water safety knowledge and less experience in swimming.
-
Underlying respiratory conditions
Toddlers with respiratory problems such as asthma are at increased risk of drowning.
-
Safety measures (Engaging in water-related activities without proper supervision)
Most of the drownings of young toddlers are caused by engaging in water activities without parental supervision.
What are the long-term effects of non-fatal drowning?
Drowning can be revived after receiving immediate medical treatments. But drowning is a very traumatic experience. It can have long-term effects.
-
Respiratory complication
Drowning often affects the lungs. As a result, toddlers who have survived drowning have breathing difficulties such as Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
Chronic Respiratory – Nonfatal drowning causes long-term respiratory problems such as wheezing, chronic cough, and susceptibility to respiratory infections.
Pulmonary edema – Fluid may persist in the lungs, causing difficulty breathing.
-
Brain damage due to oxygen deprivation
When a person drowns, the flow of oxygen to the brain decreases. Unfortunately, this condition causes brain damage. In some cases, it even causes dangerous conditions such as brain hypoxia.
-
Neurological impairments
Some drowning people are affected neurologically by the conditions.
Cognitive impairment – Hypoxia causes cognitive deficits such as difficulties with memory, attention, processing speed, and problem-solving.
Motor impairment – Muscle weakness, paralysis, and coordination problems arise due to brain damage.
Seizures – Seizures disorders are caused by hypoxia-induced brain injury.
Behavioral changes – Irritability, personality changes, mood swings, and difficulty with social interaction can occur.
-
Psychological trauma
A drowning can be traumatic for a toddler’s body as well as their mind. Post-traumatic stress disorder and depression can occur in toddlers after a drowning incident.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – The drowning is a traumatic situation. The traumatic experience can cause post-traumatic stress disorders such as nightmares, severe anxiety, etc.
Anxiety and depression – Some toddlers who survive drowning suffer from chronic anxiety, fear of water, and depression.
-
Cardiovascular effects
Heart issues – As well as hypoxia, stress causes cardiovascular problems. As a result, heart function decreases, and arrhythmia occurs.
-
Other effects
Kidney damage – Hypoxia leads to acute kidney injury. It can cause long-term renal problems.
Immune system compromise – Frequent health problems weaken the immune system. Therefore, the susceptibility to disease increases.
Speech and language disorders – Brain damage affects speech and language abilities.
How can you prevent Drowning?
Do you want to prevent the dry drowning of your baby? Here are some necessary tips to help prevent drowning.
General Safety Tips
- Supervision – Always keep an eye on your child when doing water activities. Although they can swim, be careful when toddlers are in or near water.
- Learn to swim – Teach toddlers to swim to improve their water skills and confidence.
- Use barriers – Use self-locking gates to prevent unauthorized access to the swimming pool, etc.
- Life jackets – Toddlers and inexperienced swimmers always wear life jackets when entering the water.
- Swimming with a buddy – Always encourage children to swim with someone else. Teach them to never swim alone.
- Avoid alcohol and drugs – Avoid alcohol while supervising children around water.
Pool Safety
- Secure the pool area – Secure the pool area when you are not using the pool. You can use pool covers, alarms, and safety locks to secure the pool area.
- Teach pool rules – Establish and enforce rules such as running, diving, and swimming in shallow water without adult supervision.
- Keep emergency equipment – Keep things like a life ring, rescue equipment, or telephone in case of emergency.
Open water safety
- Understand the water – Always be aware of weather changes. You can study about water conditions and water currents. Do not allow children to swim in rough water or strong water currents.
- Designated swimming area – Allow children to play in water where supervised by lifeguards.
- Stay within reach – Keep children close when playing in the water.
Education and Awareness
- Water safety education – Always teach toddlers about the importance of water and the dangers of water.
Also, teach children what to do if they are faced with drowning.
Conclusion
Dry drowning is a rare incident. However, it can affect your toddler’s health. Hence, always keep an eye on your child while they are doing water activities. Here we have provided more information about dry drowning. Carefully read it. Do you want more details? Refer to more research papers. Secure your toddlers from dry drowning.
