Recurrent croup- Asthma?

[Beeloux]

Hi all,

Spent the afternoon in A&E with Ds (2.5) due to croup. Was given steroids as soon as we arrived. This is the 3rd time he’s required the steroids for it since March. He had mild croup last month and gets that every 1-2 months (whenever he has a cold).

He has an egg and milk allergy and suffered terrible with eczema as a baby until he was prescribed nutramigen formula. Also been referred to physio for suspected hypermobility.

He often coughs while running. He did so a few weeks ago and projectile vomitted. He’s never had the stridor but it’s a non stop barking cough which comes on suddenly.

He’s had 5 chest infections requiring antibiotics and has been admitted twice with them for oxygen. His dad has asthma.

Is asthma a given and would they diagnose it at his age? I mentioned it to the nurse at A&E who said to chase it up with his paediatrician (who is on long term sick). I’ll be calling his secretary in the morning.

Has anyone’s dc been through similar? Any advice or experiences greatly appreciated :)

My 7yo had recurrent croup from about 18 months to 5, including a few 999 calls. He doesn't have asthma or any allergies (had allergy testing). So it's not a given with croup, but it sounds like your DS has other things going on too. Are you hearing him wheeze at all?

Thanks for the reply 😊I’m glad to hear your son didn’t have asthma. He’s only really wheezed when he’s had the chest infections requiring oxygen. When he’s been on the monitor before, it’s when he’s asleep the sats have dropped below 90 and he’s needed the oxygen.

His oxygen kept dipping today and they were going to send him to the larger children’s hospital. However it went back up and he had no chest recessions so he was discharged.

Hi,
Sorry to hear about your ds.

Yes, we had a very similar experiece with my dd (now 14 years) around that age. She would wheeze and cough endlessly with every cold, needed oxygen in a&e a few times and also had a cow's milk allergy.

What helped was a low dose of a daily steriod inhaler (it was the brown inhaler in those days), piriton for flare ups, reducing other irritants (like dust), and just the passing of time as her lungs grew and developed. She no longer needs inhahers but she's still highly sensitive to things like seasonal triggers and dust and they affect her in different ways - like sore irritated skin and a post nasal trip. She now takes a daily anti-histaminie in the autumn and spring which helps with her skin.

My dd is also hypermobile, and was diagnosed around 9 years old audhd, dyspraxic. I'm not saying your ds is, but for us it was a piece of a bigger puzzle.

I hope there's something of help in here. All the best.

My DD had recurrent croup without asthma. Not sure when she grew out of it but certainly before 10.

Thanks very much for the reply! Ds is the same, he seems very sensitive. Last month the whites of his eyes swelled up like jelly just being in the same room as egg. GP confirmed it was an allergic reaction. He’s had countless antibiotic courses for tonsillitis (had them removed in July) alongside the ones for chest infections. Also used to get widespread petechial rashes whenever he had a virus (was once admitted for iv antibiotics as they thought he had sepsis) 😫

I do find piriton eases his cough.

Can I ask how your DD was when she was a toddler regarding the hypermobility? Ds walked at 12 months but his ankles give way inwards and outwards, tip toe walks, falls over constantly, can’t walk up or down stairs and only sits in w position. 😔 He starts his physio in 2 weeks xx

i was told they can’t diagnose til minimum 5 years old

I'd say my DD was more subtle in presentation and it was easy for many professionals to brush my concerns off. We got a few sessions with ot and salt but not physio. We've since gone private for physio. My DD also has strabismus so a lot of her coordination issues were shrugged off as that. Unfortunately she has the type of profile that many people say - she just needs to try harder...

It sounds like there's a lot going on with your ds and don't be surprised if you find yourself the only one joining the dots to get the whole picture of him. Trust your instincts. I've definitely found that each professional only looks at the issue from their own particular area and rarely thinks about how this could interact or overlap with others. I have had a few good ones though who do this and it was very helpful! Has anyone suggested that these issues are all related in some way? It sounds like he has heightened reactivity and sensitivity to many things. Does he have differences in speech language and interaction?

Not Croup, but my oldest DD had recurrent chest infections, and constantly coughed at night, had a dairy intolerance as a baby and eczema, she also has an allergy to dust and grass, she was diagnosed with suspected asthma at the age of 4, inhaler helped a bit, but still got chest infections, referred to the asthma clinic at the hospital and was officially diagnosed, has been on a steroid inhaler since and hasn't had a chest infection in years.

All three of mine had bouts of repeated croup when they were younger than 5. But none of them have asthma. At the time it felt like it would never end. But they did outgrow it.

My grandson 2.5 has had numerous viruses, chest infections, ear infections, sore mouth, rashes, course after course of antibiotics, admissions to hospital with croup where he was administered steroids and oxygen to help his restricted breathing - all very frightening…for him and us. It was only a private appt. which eventually got him diagnosed with neutropenia, which was leaving him open to attack from infections. It can go undiagnosed until someone joins the dots. Of course it may not be the same for your ds, but worth ruling out. Hope you get to the root of things, and he gets a diagnosis or hopefully grows out of whatever is causing his health issues. All I can advise is if your gut feeling is that something isn’t right, and that you’re being fobbed off, keep pushing, or pay for a private appt., if that’s possible.

Sorry to hear the struggles you’ve went through with HCPs regarding your DD! I’ve found many useless. It wasn’t until I said to the first GP, could this be hypermobility that she went aa yes it could be. Then told me to see what the HV says as she would be more knowledgable. 🙃

DS’ allergy test was delayed almost 1 year due to the gp practise failing to send off the referral from the dietician!

He is very sensitive. Also takes ages to get over illnesses. He was referred for immunology panel but the results came back inconclusive and they refused to redo them.

I’ve started wondering if it could be EDS. Myself and my brother are hypermobile and all of us have veiny fragile skin/ bruise easily. Also DM died of a heart failure in her 40s.

Regarding speech, I’d say he’s slightly behind. Interaction, he was very shy and preferred playing alone at playgroups but has become a lot more sociable over the last few months.

Thanks very much again for your reply and everyone else’s. Glad to hear many did not result in asthma ☺️

Really sorry to hear about you DGS! But glad to hear that you managed to get some answers (ridiculous you had to go private but not sirprising).

Can I ask how they diagnosed it? Ds had about 5 blood tests last year for petechial rashes and all showed high white blood cells and sometimes high inflammatory markers but it was when he had tonsillitis or chest infections. Did it show up on a blood test?

He was referred for an immunology panel last year due to his recurrent infections but the results came back inconclusive and they refused to redo it as they put it down to his enlarged tonsils. He’s had them removed and still ill all the time. 😫

My eldest ds is rarely ill. Never had a chest infection or croup. He’s 5 and has had 3 courses of antibiotics in his life. Ds2 has had well over 15 courses.

His peadiatrician is on long term sick and I’ve been told to just wait for his overdue appointment. I tried ringing the secretary today but couldn’t get through. Going to try again in the morning and chase it up with the GP if I don’t have any luck xx

Thank you, yes, it was a huge relief to finally get a diagnosis, when his parents had suspected for a long time that something was amiss, and it wasn’t just bad luck with normal childhood illnesses, as doctors had framed it. It was eventually diagnosed with a full blood count, which revealed a low neutrophil count.

My eldest ds is rarely ill. Never had a chest infection or croup. He’s 5 and has had 3 courses of antibiotics in his life. Ds2 has had well over 15 courses.

This particularly resonated with me - dgs also has an older sibling who has rarely been ill, and has also had a similar number of courses of antibiotics, which is much higher than average. Yet at no point did any doctor (prior to the private appointment) query it, or conclude that there might be something else going on, despite his parents flagging up their concerns on many occasions.

Really hope you can get an appointment sorted for your ds sooner rather than later, and that you get some answers. Wishing you
and your ds all the best.