Chest Infection & Asthma attack every autumn.

[GinGarden]

Every year DS (13) ends up with severe chest infection, asthma & breathing problems. Yesterday he was taken to hospital by school with breathing difficulties. They have given him steroids and inhalers. He is very fit & sporty and otherwise in v.good health. Any ideas why this happens each autumn and are there any tests / investigations I can ask for? Often it can take 6 wks to recover from 1 bout, which is awful for him as he is in all the sports teams!

We get this with dd1 every September, after talking with her consultant we assume it must be a spore/pollen that's around at this time. We now increase her preventer at the beginning of September and give an antihistamine which seems to have helped as she's not needed to be hospitalised for the last couple of years

My dd (15) was the same. Been admitted many times in September. So hard to pinpoint a specific trigger. I think there can be a number of contributing factors - maybe the stress of starting the school year, maybe environmental stuff. I’ve also seen it suggested, and I think there may be some truth in it, that the summer holidays can play havoc with our routines. So when dd is at school she takes her preventer meds daily, at the same time, whereas in the holidays things are more relaxed, there’s different childcare arrangements, preventer meds might get missed and it can impact on overall health.

Asthma’s a bugger isn’t. Dd came away from school at lunchtime today poorly. She’s coming down with a cold and that has set it off but sometimes you just don’t know the triggers .

The seasonal nasty viruses start circulating in autumn so he'll be exposed to them after he starts back at school. Rsv is a particularly nasty virus so he might be getting one like that every year. It's a case of trying to get through the autumn and winter with him in afraid. Sickness is seasonal.