DD (2) been diagnosed with asthma-not sure i agree

[krisskross]

Our DD aged nearly 3 has had a rotten cough for ten days. She is inclined to get bad coughs with a cold and so we have been using the blue inhaler (previously prescribed) when necessary and thought it would pass- i didnt think it was a chest infection (shes had a few of those too!).

But it got worse yesterday and couldnt get GP app so took her this morning to walk in centre. the doctor there told me very matter of factly that she has asthma and has prescribed a preventer inhaler as well as the blue one. when i questioned the asthma diagnosis she said that she is wheezy, cough not improving and no temp. so asthma is clear clinical diagnosis.

my son is 4.5 and has eventually been prescribed brown inhaler after numerous coughs etc etc - but GP V V relucatant to label it asthma.

So- whats the score? does she have asthma? I am left v confused and feeling like the brown inhaler wont make a difference for weeks (though doc today said 48 hrs).

Some children do have asthma that is just induced by illness, also in young children viral induced wheeze which has similar symptoms to asthma is very common. Preventer inhalers would help with both of them though.

I am surprised a GP has been so quick to diagnose as asthma in such a young child as normally they are initially but down to post viral wheeze unless ongoing when otherwise 'healthy'.

I would try to get an appointment with the asthma nurse at your practise to discuss things with her as they are generally a lot more clued up than GPs on these things

i was pretty shocked tbh- our son has had worse symptoms for longer and just got preventer inhaler recently . will look into seeing asthma nurse. thanks.

When my dd was 3, I also didn't believe she had asthma, despite gps and nurses trying to convince me otherwise. Then one day she had a cold and had been coughing all day. She got to a point when she couldn't stop and her lips were going blue and she was very distressed. I rushed her to the nurse, who took one look at her, shouted out to someone to cancel the next two appointments and said this child has uncontrolled asthma and needs a nebuliser now. After that, I accepted the diagnosis and life was so much better once her asthma was controlled. She is now 10 and seems to have grown out of her asthma (No inhalers needed in over 2 years now).
She had viral related asthma as only ever a problem when she got a virus of some sort which sounds like your dd.
Good luck.

thanks zakinthos. your exp is pretty sobering so i am glad we went to WIC- just wish there seemed to be some agreement amongst doctors about this.

Ds was 'diagnosed' with asthma at under 2. Of course they can't formally diagnose asthma at that age but he was given inhalers. They had little effect on him. What did help was antihistamine medication from Feb/March to November each year. He now has this every year and rarely needs an inhaler, only when he has had a chest infection.

dc1 was diagnosed last spring at age 4. it basically is allergic asthma and a reaction to his hayfever.
the asthma nurse told us that they treat all asthma-like breathing problems the same but will only 'label' a child asthmatic after extensive testing.
dc only needs (so far) the blue inhaler during hay fever season and with a bad cold. we were told to see the asthma nurse for re-assessment and braun inhaler if the blue inhaler is needed more than three times a week.

Dd2 has asthma that only generally emerges as a cough when she is otherwise ill. She has only once come out with a close thing to an attack, and we managed to stop it with the ventolin inhaler. it was very scary realising she was going into an attack, and I am very thankful we had the inhalers, even though she doesn't use them much, some years not at all.