5 Year Old Coughing A Lot

[blahblah06]

My 5 year old daughter, seems to be coughing a lot. Once she gets a cold the cough seems to last ages , sometimes she'll be free from coughing for two days then start another cold. She also coughs at night while she is asleep. I spoke to a doctor who mentioned that it could be asthma, but there is no family history, she shows no other symptoms of asthma and my husband and I don't want to start giving steroids if asthma is not the cause. My question is does anyone else have this problem and what else could it be. Nothing seems to help her. I also have a 6 year old son, if he gets a cold it's over in a week with no lasting cough. She had no problems over the summer holidays, then after two days back at school, the coughing starts again, I know kids get loads of infections but it just seems like she is never free from a cold while she is at school.

[Sqad]

I agree with your GP, she certainly has all the characteristics of asthma and steroids may or may not be the next step.

I would ask to be referred to a Paediatrician to confirm our presumed diagnosisi

[Eve]

It was coughing so much which led to my diagnosis of asthma and I ended up having it quite badly (though has got better the older I've got) so the sooner they test her for it the better. I suffered for ages before I was diagnosed.

I don't have any family history of it either.

Have they measured her peak flow and tried her with an asthma inhaler?

[Eve]

Just a thought, does she do any kind of exercise like PE at school? If so, how does she cope with it?

[Peter Pedant]

yeah sounds like asthma - esp history of nocturnal cough
huge really huge amount of info here:

http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/management-of-childhood-asthma

[pixie373]

Sounds very much like asthma. My ten-year-old has had it since he was about five. His diagnosis was slow, he went blue and collapsed three times in a year before he was given inhalers. Please go back asap and get it treated.

[daffy654]

Inhaled steroids are not as scary as you seem to think, it is the tablet form that causes all sorts of problems/side effects.

[blahblah06]

Thanks everyone. Doctors didn't measure her peak flow as they said she was too young at 5 to be able to use it properly. In answer to Eve's question she is very active and is always running about, we sometimes go on long walks and she can quite happily cope with 3 or 4 miles without showing any sign of breathlessness or being worn out. That's why I find it all so mystifying.
This cold has actually gone away without any more night time coughing in a couple of days.