Why is my child getting frequent cold attacks with severe and continuous cough?
Q: My 6 years old son is getting frequent cold attacks with severe and continuous cough which continues throughout the year. The severity of cough decreases as the cold symptoms vanish, but the cough never goes off. In the morning he coughs (dry) 4-5 times, after that he is alright till the next cold attack. For the last 5 days his breathing is noisy at bed time, sometimes even in the upright position. Cough continued so the doctor prescribed budenase and it got cured. But then the cough and cold came back and all treatment remained ineffective (nasal sprays, antibiotics, cough syrups etc.). He then contracted ear infection and was treated with antibiotics. During cold there is no nasal secretion although he blows his nose. We tried homeopathy and ayurveda but no improvement. We protect him by not sending him out, no cold food, dust free etc but still he caught a cold. Kindly tell us what is the medical problem, treatment and precautions?
A:Four-five episodes per year are quite normal for a child of 6 years. Very often, these episodes would last for 4-5 days. In many instances, cough may persist for a few more days. These episodes are self limiting and require only symptomatic treatment. However in certain albeit less common situations these episodes may be more frequent or last longer. These include bronchial asthma, which can at times present only as cough, tuberculosis, sinusitis etc. The warning signs to look out for are - low grade irregular/prolonged fever (TB), difficulty in breathing/feeling of tightness in chest (asthma), persistent nasal block with mouth breathing/ snoring (sinusitis/adenoidal enlargement) to name a few. So get your child evaluated by a pediatrician and an ENT surgeon, preferably during an acute episode. He can then reach the appropriate diagnosis. It is also prudent to file together his medical records. A review by a doctor of previous records also helps.