At what age is it reasonable to wonder about possible asthama?

[strawberrycake]

My son has allergies and eczema, he's nearly 7 months.

He wheezes nearly daily and he's had a cough for around 7/8 weeks now which is worse at night or in cold air, it can be enough to make him sick. I know he's young and it's cold season but he's had a number of colds and his cough is about the same cold or no cold, a bit wetter with a cold.

I've taken him to the GP twice, first time given antibiotics, second something to help him sleep and told it's just a virus running its course. It's the wheezing that bothers me more, holding him when he does I feel the vibration of his chest. It's a wheeze or whistle on the exhale. The GP said his chest is clear but by the time I get an appointment he's not wheezing, just coughing. It comes and goes, 80-90% his breathing sounds fine. 1-3 wheezing bouts a day.

He's not overweight, rather underweight.

Interesting - my DS has had a cough/cold on and off for a similar amount of time. He also has eczema and dairy/soya intolerances (he's 14 months).

In the winter, I've put it down to being more sensitive to dustmites and central heating - he's not getting as much fresh air as he did in the summer.

I got an inhaler for his wheeze chest from a different doctor (the first gave antibiotics). It seems to be helping. Can you see a different GP? I'd also ask for an urgent appointment on the same day so you can get him in quickly - I did this and told the receptionist I thought he might have a chest infection.

I don't think they will diagnose for a good few years. My kids are 4 and 2 and both suspected asthmatics but neither have been diagnosed. 4yo currently has nasty chest infection.

I think in the mean time you just have to be really careful. You should get an inhaler with a chamber to put over the child's mouth (on prescription). Babies and young children can take these at home to widen their airways. I have salbutamol inhaler (sp?) and a chamber and also an atropene (?) inhaler for my kids and I can apply this at any time I choose. At times, I have been prescribed steriods to spray into the tube.

Oral steriods can be prescribed when child ill (prednisilone - sp?) as well.

Bottom line = any doubts, get to doc ASAP and make sure chest is listened to all up the front and back of body.

I also think that sometimes underweight children can have slightly worse immune systems, although the is not a rule obviously. My DS is very underweight, my DD is a good weight. With this current illness we have, DS is in far worse condition than DD (who is 2).

Oh yes, like Iggly says you must insist on a same day/emergency GP appointment if you think your child has a chest infection/difficulty breathing. I have taken mine in so many times and they always put them on an emergency appointment.

hi-id personally ask to see another doctor-youneed to get the inhlaers-my son is the same -he is 13 months now but had 7 chest infections in 5 months-i pushed to see a paedatrician-they gave him blood tests and a sweat test (cystic fibrosis)-and diagnosed asthma- since havin gthe brown inhaler twice daily he has been SO so much better.

I rung on Thursday, explained the problem and couldn't get anything until Monday! Wheezed all weekend then ok Monday. The other issue is that the only decent GPs don't do emergency/ quicker appointments. You get stand-ins than change frequently or one woman who's incompetant (really, no exaggeration. Went to her 38 weeks pregnant with throwing up, headaches etc. and she didn't even check blood pressure. 3 guesses what I had..)

I think changing GPs may be the next step, They're run down and over-stretched. Take a week and a half on repeat prescriptions! Not good when it's baby milk. Had to get the hospital involved to get them to prescribe a months worth at a time, not two tins.

Hi,

My eldest son who is now 21yrs old, had his first big asthma attack at 9mths old but was showing symptoms from about 6mths old and was diagnosed from about 7/8mths.

Constant night cough is a good indicator of Asthma

Your local hospital should have an asthma nurse if they haven't got one in your GP, it might be worth asking to see them or ask to be referred, they will be able to either put your mind to rest or diagnose and get the ball rolling on treatment.

You are within your rights to be referred if your worried and don't b afraid to be firm.

Hope that helps a little

Wend xx

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's not that I want him 'labeled' (I hope he's not asthmatic!) but it's getting to the point where it seems more than a prolonged cold as I'm being told. I just would like him to be properly checked, maybe try an inhaler, if it makes no different, fine, it could be a virus.

i dont think inhalers can harm then anyway- i would ring up doctors in morning or even try now and get him seen-its worth a try. my little boy now 13 months had bronchiolitis then went onto have breathing proble,s, chest infections etc etc-he had antibiotics, steroids eveyhting-it is only since he had the brown inhaler that he has made an improvement. i actually think if the doc is no good-try health visitor-express your concerns and i think she/he can refer you to local paeadtirican.
in mean time- try and keep his bed are dust free-it could be a dust mite allergy-or similar? ive ofund carpets and central heating seem to trigger my boys night cough off more

DS2 showed symptoms from about 6 months, although one GP did say that the night cough was caused by him teething He was referred to a paediatrician for this and other problems, and was diagnosed at around 3yrs. He is now 6 and it is pretty well controlled, although at the moment the combination of a streaming cold and the cold weather means he is double dosing on his brown inhaler plus having to take his blue one several times a day.

Our daughter had a persistant cough from about 12 months old that got worse at night and when she had been outside. As she was always ful of cold it was hard to tell if it was due to the cold or something else. It took her going floppy, pale and her lips going blue before the doctor sent her straight to hospital (our doctor had seen her a number of times and said her chest was clear too).After a second hosptial visit we were given inhalers which made a difference. We were told that they can't diagnose childhood asthma until they are about 6yrs old, so they just treat the symptoms as asthma just in case. Thankfully she seemed to grow out of it and we have had no problems since she turned 3yrs old. I would try to see another doctor or see if there is an asthma clinic at the surgery where you can discuss your concerns with a nurse - we found ours really helpful and supportive.

Yes change doctors. And don't be fobbed off by receptionists - tell them it's a chest infection and you want a doctor. It's not for them to judge!

My Ds was like this from 5mths (after a nasty bout of bronciolitis). he wheezed for 3mths, back and forth to doctors, I took to trying to get him over excited in the waiting room so he could hear what he was like at home . Finally the tried relievers, then added preventers, he is a different child now.

We changed doctors shortly after, (for a variety of reasons but poor doctor hygiene being the main one) and the new surgery is so fantastic, i wish i had done it it the very beginning like my mum suggested. If your not happy then change, it was the best thing i ever did and now i am reasuured if they say he is ok as i have confidence in them.

dribbleface- that is exactly what i did with my son- made him get excited whilst waiting- he wheezez and breathes differently when laughing, moving etc. my son is totally different too now on inhalers and his was due to bad bronchiolitis- bronchiolitis should be explained to every new parent. it nearly took my son away from us.

I agree - very little told to new parents about bronchiolitis, and it can be very very scary stuff.

Don't want to worry anyone, but my brother died aged 8 months from bronchiolitis. I was always so scared that it would happen to DS2 when he developed asthma as a baby.