Q: My daughter is 5 years old. Her problem is that she is always suffering from a cold. And regarding the cough it just shoots up in minutes and it is not mild. She is totally fine and all of a sudden she will be severely coughing. Last week she slept normally and at 4 in the morning she woke up with a very sore and non-stop cough, which in minutes led to breathlessness and she could not speak too. I rushed her to the hospital and there they told me that she was affected with Croup. I had heard this term for the first time. They told me that this is due to a virus. She was admitted for a day and was put to Predone and intravenous Augmentin. Then again after three months, she slept perfectly, and then at 3 she woke up with a sore cough, breathlessness but this time it was a mild stroke. I rushed her to the hospital, and there they nebulised her and told me that it was the starting of Croup. I again asked them the reason but they said it is an airborne problem /allergy /tonsil. I was confused and then took her to my paediatrician. He told me that it was a serious bronchial attack. And he told me that we should take precautions for future so that her body did not get used to such attacks. He prescribed Seroflo inhaler for 2 months. According to him if we can get rid of these attacks for a year, then her problem can be solved. I am a little confused about the side effects of the inhalers? Can we give them to a child of 5 years? I hope there is no harm? Will these inhalers help to solve her problem? Please advise what we should do?

A:You have written that your five-year-old child gets cough, particularly in the nights, which quickly worsens and leads to breathlessness and wheezing. This is frequently seen in children. This condition is called Croup. The usual cause is an inflammation of the airway passages and consequent blocking of the trachea and the bronchi. It might be triggered by various causes like virus, regurgitation of food, cold air draught etc. Even a pre-existing infection of the nose and throat can cause such an episode. There is no single reason for that. The treatment that you have described is correct. Nebulisation and inhalers are appropriate treatment and they are safe. In general, give the child a little early dinner; even the night-time ritual glass of milk should be given a little early (about one hour). This avoids a full stomach while going to bed. Avoid cold draughts - the child must not directly in front of the AC or open windows. The inhaler that your paediatrician has prescribed will be a handy help in the house. However, nebulisation additionally moisturises the airway and is better.