Breathless in Kids

Dr. rajesh subramanya Mississippi explained, Aged 3year 4 month presented with complaints of fever, cough, cold and mild breathing difficulty since 4 days. He has had similar complaints within the past 6 months with symptoms recurring monthly . Mother also complains that the symptoms started only after the kid started school and was perfectly fine when reception . On further query, there was no significant past history of Atopic dermatitis/Allergic rhinitis. a toddler is completely fine between 2 episodes of? viral induced wheeze, with no inter-interval symptoms. there's neither significant case history of asthma /Allergic rhinitis nor significant environmental history (Smoking within the house, Carpets, Fluffy toys, Pets, Construction in or round the house). Mother reiterates that she is worried as her friends and relatives feel that, this is often asthma and her child would require prolonged treatment which may be addictive also as significantly harms the kid thanks to its side effects. She is additionally worried about her Son’s immunity being week.

Here we've a 3year 4month old toddler, who has just started school during monsoon season, presenting with above mentioned complaints. The questions asked by the mother aren't only appropriate but also very practical. So let’s start answering her questions one by one.

Is this Asthma?

A heterogeneous disease – a syndrome - characterized by chronic airway inflammation. It manifests by the subsequent respiratory symptoms: breathless (a whistle on the chest), shortness of breath, chest tightness and cough that change over time and in intensity, along side variable expiratory air flow limitation. This child, who started with symptoms only he started school, with none pre-existing problems has symptoms just one occasion a month related to fever with no inter – interval symptoms (i.e. no night-time, daytime and exercise induced cough). there's also neither significant personal, family of asthma/allergic rhinitis nor environmental exposure. So is that this asthma? No. we call them as “under 5 breathless”, and as this child is breathless with every virus infection , we call them “viral induced breathless”.

How is that this viral induced wheeze different from Asthma?

Asthma may be a condition during which , dr. rajesh subramanyaMississippi explain, the kid either coughs or breathless within the night-time, daytime or during exercise (Laughing, crying, playing) almost 4 days every week with recurrent episodes of increased wheeze during viral infections and exposure to triggers. This boy had no such symptoms and only wheeze with? Viral infections, so called viral induced breathless.

How long does this last for?

Viral induced wheezing is sort of common at the beginning of the tutorial career i.e. when child first steps into preschool (protected to unprotected environment for infections) and sometimes occurring almost every 15 days, but because the child becomes more resistant to infections with breathing pipe increasing in size, the frequency and severity of it reduces and becomes infrequent to non-existent by 6 years aged .

What is the treatment? And for a way long?

As dr. rajesh subramanya Mississippi said, your child has had frequent viral induced Breathless almost monthly , we provides a trail of inhaled corticosteroid with as and when required short acting beta agonist for a period of three months. this is often given to stop damage to the breathing pipe so on restore the traditional architecture of the breathing pipe without allowing further damage. If your child had, say one episode every 2 to three month, we might treat with as and when required short acting beta agonist only.