Does a wheeze with a cough necessarily indicate asthma?

[ArtiChokesOnTheWishbone]

I hope not. DD is 16 months and has a cough and cold. On Thursday her nanny suggested she sounded like an asthmatic child the nanny had looked after previsouly, but I thought she was being paranoid. Today I can hear a real wheeze as she breathes and her cough is really chesty sounding. She has no fever and does not seem to be acting poorly otherwise.

Can children wheeze even if they do not have asthma?

I am a bit worried as GP is closed until 27th.

no. I think it's something to do with whether ther wheeze is on the way out or in...

Because small children cannot clear their airways with a good old cough the way we would - gunk builds up and can make the airways sound wheezy.

yes they can. My dd had bronchiolitis two weeks ago and was wheezing. Dr said that was one of the symptoms. No treatment as long as she was eating and drinking well but keep an eye on it.

she could just get wheezy with colds - which is what happens to my dd. as soon as she gets a virus, the wheezing kicks in, and it goes again once she is well. i've seen it called a 'wave' - wave associated with a viral episode. bit of a grand title imo, but describes it to a tee. my dd has to be treated as though she has asthma during those periods.

Thanks for your replies. It is good to know that a wheeze is not always as sinister as I feared. In fact DD's breathing seemed better this evening. It was worst while we were out and about in the fog. Once in the warm again she settled a bit. I think I will keep her inside for a couple of days.

I don't know if this bears any relevance as I am an adult but I wheeze when I get a cold and have to be treated as if I have asthma although I don't have an asthma dx. I can go for months without needing any treatment at all but if I get a chest infection it can go on and on and I need an inhaler otherwise I get properly short of breath and you can hear my tuneful wheezing in the next county. I am also much worse in the cold. Keeping her in for a couple of days is a good idea.