Persistent cough 19 months old, no chest infection

[katefirsttimer]

Hi,
My son has had a persistent cough for at least 2 months now. During this time he has had a viral infection with a chest and throat infection, but they are fully cleared up now and hes fighting fit.
This dry cough started about 4 weeks before the viral and hes still coughing now 3 weeks after.
Ive had him at the doctors and he said he doesnt have a chest infection - which i suspected because he is not wheezy.
But im concerned that this dry cough wont go.
He seems to have it more in the night and in the morning.

Im worrying about the obvious but any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Badvoc]

Asthma?

[Kt1991]

My son is exactly the same, he is just over 2, and this has been going on for as long as I can remember. Several usless trips back and forth to the docs, my MIL took him this week, and they have finally said they think he has asthma. I?d suggest taking him back and demanding they do further checks if your at all worried like I was. We have been given an inhaler for him 2 take 4X a day, started taking it today but is going to take a while for him to get the hang of it I think. Good luck.

[SgtTJCalhoun]

I second asthma. I've recently been diagnosed. Not much wheezing but a cough that just wouldn't go. Much worse at night and in the morning.

[Badvoc]

My ds2 has just been dx as asthmatic after nearly a year of bad coughs and breathing problems.
They are very wary of dx before 5 (and to be fair they cant do lung funtion tests etc at that age) but according to my gp there is a new variant asthma ATM that presents as a cough that won't go away...
Ds2 is now in a preventer inhaler 2 per day and has ventolin for when he is bad/ill.
Within 24 hours of starting the inhaler he stopped coughing :)
Do take him back as ask for a preventer.

[monikar]

DD had a cough which started when she was a toddler and continued until she was about 4 when the doctor reluctantly diagnosed asthma. I was constantly at the doctor, trying to get it sorted out, but was always told it was a virus and would go away. Looking back, I realise now that every doctor only saw her during the day, when the cough was at its most settled. She was much worse at night, sometimes coughing so much she would vomit, and also first thing in the morning.

During this time, she was prescribed Salbutamol syrup on about 3 separate occasions, which helped enormously. I didn't realise to begin with that this was Ventolin syrup. When she was 4, she was prescribed a brown preventer inhaler to be used twice a day and also a blue Ventolin inhaler for when the cough was bad. The Ventolin works really quickly. I second the advice of asking for a preventer inhaler though as this keeps the inflammation in the lungs under control.

You have my sympathy OP, it was such a frustrating and worrying time for us.