Could this be asthma?? Concerned.

My 3yr old DD never stops coughing. This has been ongoing for MONTHS now and I am so tired of her coughing spells. She has had her fair share of colds and flu's this year already (thanks to daycare but she is no longer going anymore since 3 weeks ago as I am tired of the sickness she brings home).
I'm concerned it could be asthma as I have been doing some reading and have read that it's common for coughing to be the only present symptom for asthmatics, is to have a chronic cough.

They say chronic cough is a cough that persists. It is a symptom of an underlying condition such as asthma or allergies.

DD1 has always been breastfed up until 22mths when she weaned but then went back to breastfeeding when her little sister was born a few months later and is still having the odd feed here and there (not every day). So I'd like to think, being breastfed, her chances of being asthmatic are greatly reduced.

She quite often coughs at night time around bed time making it hard for her to fall off to sleep, and then through the night she will wake coughing and it wakes her up :( and then in the morning she's coughing. Even with slippers or warm socks on her feet she coughs :( (we have tiles). Sometimes she even draws back her breathe a little like she's getting out of breathe. I dunno. :(

It's been months now, so should I get this looked at? I wait for her cough to go, then a few days later it comes back? It's just on and off all the time..... even when she's well and not having a cold or anything. She has no cold at present.

Should I take her to the GP? How do they test for asthma these days?

Any advice, thanks :)

I suffered from bad Asthma all through my childhood. I would go and get it checked, even if they rule it out. It's no fun for kids and winter was the worst time for me. Can you put a small heater in her room? This used to help me stop coughing as it takes the chill from the air. Hope it turns out not to be xx

Could she have a constant nasal drip running down the back of her throat?

the way we knew DS had mild asthma was a wet cough - particularly at night or after exercise. They gave us a low dose preventative (also, use an spacer, as it increases the intake by over 50%) to give at night (and maybe at morning), and after 6-12 months I got a bit slack and missed it a bit and noticed he didn't seem to need it, and hasn't had it in over a year now.

It helped his sleep also, infact the week we started we also had him at a paediatric sleep study to check for sleep apnoea (which he didn't have - and they put it down to asthma)

I'm 26 and have had asthma my whole life (coughing as I type this)

Thankfully my DD doesn't have it (yet) but from what you are describing they could possibly be symptoms

Definitely get to the gp to either get confirmation and medication or the all clear.

My main symptoms for me are breathlessness, wheezing (I can take a deep breath and feel like nothing is going in - and sometimes you can clearly hear the "wheeze") and also a constant cough

The cold weather sets me off, and always find the steam from a shower helps. My mum also used to put a vaporizer in my room, so try to get one of these :)

Hope everything works out well

How does the gp diagnose though?

this has been us for the last 12 months. i have had DS to 4 different GP's and am tired! 2 GP's say yes, one says no, and another just didnt say anything! of the two that said yes, one gave me a ventolin puffer and said here try that, the other one gave me a preventer with 5 repeats and said here you go, the one that said no said to keep a diary of the cough, any wheeze etc. the one yesterday didnt say anything. rather frustrated parent right here!

i say go to your gp and see what they say. keep a diary also. that way you can go back to them and say "see what happened on this day and it was this cold, but this day it was warmer and this happened" type thing

good luck! i hope you get further along then me! :hug:

My DS has had a constant cough for months with clear lungs and chest and the GP told me they won't diagnose it till 2 so told me he had a hypersensitivity to 'something' not sure what lol as soon as the weather changes or it gets a bit cool the cough comes back.

Do you have a vaporizer? My brother had this when he has about three and my parents used a vaporizer every night until he seemed to get over it a few months later. The vaporosor warms the air and adds some humidity which helps.

Do you have a history of asthma in the family? It's very difficult to diagnose in small children, but your gp should be able to give you an idea if he thinks its a probability (based on family history and current symptoms). My dh has asthma and I have had both kids checked when I go to the doctor and they have given me the all clear each time.

I would also recommend following the steps for eliminating dust mites and other allergens in your home, such as pet hair since they are very common triggers: air the bed each day by pulling dooms off and draping over a chair, keeping heating down as much as possible with plenty of fresh air, and vaccuum often.

Did you just get a new pet recently? Can you link it to that? My mum has a cat allergy that hasn't diagnosed until adulthood, and it's main symptom was a constant dripping nose.

Hope you find some answers.

I'm have asthma, and in winter if I don't start taking my preventer get a cough mainly at night just like you describe, two out of three of my kids have it and my youngest looks like she does too. With my first the dr said I think she has asthma try using the ventolin and if it makes difference let him know, it did so he started her on a preventer. My second was diagnosed at 3 months old same way. However they re checked after both their second birthdays.

I would definetly get it checked.

The GP can do a peak flow up measurement. This is where DD blows into a little toilet roll covered peak flow monitor which basically shows her lung capacity at the time you take the measurement. Chronic coughs can certainly be a sign of asthma, but there are other underlying medical issues for kids your DD's age that could be causing it such as enlarged tonsils or adenoids - - just take her along to the GP and get it checked out so they can start treatment and her get rid of her night cough. She must be tired during the day if she is coughing in her sleep - keep us posted :)

Hi Shanti,

It certainly could be asthma. What you are describing is what my DD went through & I kept going back to the Dr b/c I thought it was a cough/cold. Each time it was confirmed asthma with the GP just listening to DD chest & back. My DD required a preventer & ventolin as well as Prednisolone (a type of steroid) sometimes.

What I found helped was a vapouriser, dusting & vaccing the house regularly, particularly under beds, behind bookcases etc.... Checking for any mould (we had some on our windows sills in winter due to moisture build up). Touch wood it appears DD now 4.5 yo has outgrown the asthma b/c she hasn't had a symptom at all for the past 12 (?) months.

Check out the Royal Childrens Hospital website for Asthma information too... This is what I found:

'Signs and symptoms
The most common signs of asthma are:

•coughing - which usually happens at night, during the early hours of the morning, when the weather is cool, and during exercise
•wheezing - when breathing sounds like whistles
•breathing problems
If your child has wheezing, coughing or problems breathing, it is important to talk to your doctor about whether it might be asthma.

Symptoms of asthma will often go on for two to three days, or sometimes more. Once the initial attack has improved, your child will need Ventolin three to four times a day until the cough and wheeze are gone.'

Causes
•The cause of asthma is often not known.
•Asthma often runs in families.
•Asthma can be related to other conditions such as eczema, hayfever and allergies
Triggers
There are many different things that can start or trigger an asthma attack. It is not always possible to know when an attack will occur, some common trigger factors are:

•colds - The most common trigger that starts an acute attack of asthma is a respiratory (chest) infection caused by a virus. Virus infections are very common in young children and happen about six to eight times a year, and often more frequently. If your child is prone to asthma they are likely to wheeze and cough at these times. If asthma is triggered by a viral infection your child may have a fever and clear runny nose. Viruses are not killed by antibiotics. Therefore, these medicines are not usually needed for acute/sudden attacks of asthma.
•exercise
•changes in the weather
•cigarette smoke
•house dustmites
•pollens
•pets
It would be helpful for you to know what may trigger asthma in your child, so you can help avoid it where possible.'

We are going through the same thing here with my DS. He's 5. He has a persistent cough. If he gets a virus, he starts to vomit as his lungs produce too much mucous. He has a slight wheeze when he is sick until he gets the antibiotics. He has been sensitive to cooler temperatures since birth. I have also noticed if he has an ice cream or a cold yogurt that increases the chances of him coughing later on.

I have discussed it with my GP several times and they just say 'maybe'. He has a puffer with a spacer and we give it to him when necessary. I'm not sure what to do either!! My DH has asthma though he got it later in life. DS also has a nut allergy and had exczema as a baby.

^^ exczema and asthma are related..... but the mucous after dairy could indicate something else??

Wow, thanks so much everyone for your replies, some lengthy (helpful) ones too, so I appreciate it :)

Yep I have her humidifier on in her room while she's asleep tonight, so far she hasn't coughed! I turned it on 2hrs before she went in... might have to check the water levels later.

I have a morning appt at the doctors to discuss it all. I just hope he doesn't say ' ah maybe....' and nothing resolved!

DD had this at around 3 yrs old and I ended up taking her to a paed hun, as we did suspect asthma. Turns out she has "asthmatic tendencies" in winter when she gets a cold. At that time she had a cough that went for 14 weeks non stop, it cleared up for about 4 weeks and came back again for a few weeks and then the weather turned nice and it went away. Las winter she had a few bad episodes and we were prescribed predmix which we used once as well as Seretide. We can mainly deal with it with just the ventolin and she's gotten older it seems to be much better - she never gets it with exercising etc but seems to be more related to the cold air and if she has a cold. HtH and I would get your GP to refer you to a paed to confirm. oxoxo

Thanks Tan, I will ask for a referral for sure.

She was running around with our dogs today and started coughing.... exercise seems to set it off too :(

So DD1 had her appointment today and dr says its hard to diagnose asthma in a three year old. He prescribed her with ventolin & a spacer. He said only use it if the humidifier won't help.

Last night the humidifier helped and we never heard her cough :) :) it was great!

Fingers crossed she doesn't need it, I haven't even bought it yet as I am hoping not to use it.

So it could be asthma, maybe not he said? He said it could be allergies...dust, pets, food, anything.

But it seems to happen after a burst of physical activity and at night time.

Sounds the same as DD Hun but not with exercise so much. The ventolin helps when she gets those spasms of constant coughing in her sleep. DD is also allergic to cats and possibly dogs plus gets hayfever. Did they say to go back in 12-18 mths?

Nope? He's a bit of a 'don't say much' gp :( I go to them as they are literally just up the road from us and bulk bill.(bulk bill for kids).

Mum says to keep slippers on her feet as we have cold tiles and live in the hinterland (mountains) but it makes no difference!! She still coughs.

She has started now since it got dark :(

PP was your DD actually diagnosed? Or do they just suspect it's that?

They generally will diagnose or use asthma meds as a precaution from 18mths these days so I would get a second opinion if you are still concerned.

sent from my watzamajig so may not make sense....