Children who cough all the time

[kpgclark]

I'm bringing my daughter to the doctor on Tuesday but I'm wondering if anyone has experience with fairly constant coughing. My daughter seems to cough a lot. Sometimes it is the wet cough, but normally it is just a very dry cough. It has persisted for about a year on and off. She has no medical problems that I know of and is a very active girl. She gets a lot of exercise and I've never seen her wheeze. She will cough at all times of the day, whether she's active or not. Some days she coughs and some days she doesn't. I don't think she coughs when she sleeps. Anyone have any ideas? I'm wondering if she has a coughing version of asthma or maybe some kind of allergies.

 

[KarenC]

My daughter had asthma and, more often than not, it was coughing, not wheezing. She was allergic to the rabbit that had the free run of her school . The day we moved, and she changed schools, was the last day she had to take asthma meds at school.

Good luck!

 

[Barb D]

My kids have asthma too...and the main symptom the year they were diagnosed was constant coughing.

 

[kpgclark]

So your kids with coughing asthma never wheeze? How did the doctors diagnose it as asthma? Are they taking meds to control the coughing?

 

[KarenC]

Originally posted by kpgclark
So your kids with coughing asthma never wheeze? How did doctor's diagnose it as asthma? Are they taking meds to control the coughing?

My brother's a pulmonologist (sp?) and does research on asthma. He says coughing asthma is not that unusual. The doctor will hear if the airways in the lungs are constricted. My daughter did take meds to control her coughing, but she's pretty much grown out of it and hasn't taken asthma meds for years.

 

[Christine]

My son has asthma and coughing is the biggest symptom. He does wheeze very mildly; however, I can never hear it--even when I use my stethescope. My son's lung specialist can detect a wheeze on him when I cannot (or his pediatrician for that matter). If they are wheezing loud enough that you can hear, then the asthma is really bad. Your daughter could have a wheeze and you just can't hear it.

Besides all that, there is something called Cough-Variant Asthma (CVA).

 

[oogieboogie]

I grew up with constant coughing, especially at night. Everytime my mom took me to the doctor, they couldn't find anything wrong, especially since I was active, never wheezed, nothing.

Finally during college, I was coughing so bad that I finally ended up in the ER and I was finally diagnosed with asthma. Ever since then, anytime I have an allergic reaction or asthma attack, I will start to cough.

PS: my kids will cough non stop when they have an ear infection. No fever, no crabbiness, just coughing. We know to take them to the doctor when they cough non-stop for more than 4 days.

Good luck to you.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

yep - mine too. couging especially during exercise. The year he was diagnosed we kept giving him Robitussin and wishing he'd get over that darn cough.

my son also has pretty much outgrown the symptoms. He hasn't used his inhaler in over a year.

 

[tnkrbell]

One year ago my Daughter was ALWAYS coughing. Sometimes really bad!! Well she was first diagnosed with asthma and was treated with it. But I didnt feel comfortable with this diagnoses(my Daughter never weezed!!) and eventually brought her to another doc who first put her on zertec and sudafed. We found improvement. then I removed her carpet........... And that did it she does not cough anymore!!!! And only takes Zertec seasonally!! Good luck to you!!

 

[kpgclark]

I think she must have cough variant asthma. It seems like the most logical explanation. We'll see how it goes on Tuesday. I really don't want to give her steroids though.

 

[Pooh67_68]

Good luck on Tues. kpgclark, I was diagnosed with asthma when I was 2 and never outgrew it. Hopefuly your daugther will.

 

[snuggles]

There are different kinds of steroids that can be used. The inhaled kind does not effect you like the pill form. My dd never wheezed either.... Still doesn't. She is 22 and has been diagnosed since she was in the 3rd grade. Hope they find the cause and treat it. I feel like when you know what it is.. asthma or not.. thats half the battle.

 

[Lezah]

My DS has had asthma since he was 1 month old and is now almost 10. He has been on puffers forever. He takes a diskus twice a day, every day and has an inhaler for rescue (or daily when he flares badly) and takes Singulair (pill) every day as well. His asthma is symptomatic with coughing mostly and sometimes wheezing. He has a cough mostly at night, but not constantly. He did have constant coughing prior to getting it under control and with the proper medication. I hope your child doesn't have asthma, but it does really sound like it. Good luck!

 

[janette]

My youngest DD is another with asthma who coughs. She is usually wheezing when the coughing gets bad but what I listen for is the cough to know when her asthma is acting up. There are some newer medications and her asthma has really been under control for quite awhile. Don't know if she'll outgrow it, she was symptom free from 2yo - 6yo and then ended up in the hosptal when her asthma came back

Good luck!

 

[grinningghost]

My DD has cough variant asthma. Normally, her wheezing is only detectable with a stethscope, unless she has a bad cold, then you can hear it without one.

When she was first diagnosed, I'd never even heard of it. Now it seems I read about it alot. I guess alot of kids have it. MaxAir inhaler works very well when it acts up.

 

[Snow_White]

If everything else checks out fine, you might want to make sure you don't have a Black Mold problem in your home....that can cause respiratory problems. You can buy a test kit at Home Depot for under $10.

Jenn

 

[Chris2597]

I had a child at my school that was constantly coughing....She didnt have asthma , but was diagnosed with acid reflux. I was very suprised but sure enought...that is what it was. I would have never guessed.

 

[shortbun]

As a toddler, DS had reflux and it made him cough. Now, I
have it and occassionally I cough with it. My Mom and FIL
have chronic cough and are diagnosed with COPD. FIL
has the asthma part and Mom the chronic bronchitis. Both
use an inhaler.

 

[Christine]

I just wanted to add (left this out in my first post)--this may just be allergies and the coughing could be due to a post-nasal drip. That would be nice if that is all it was. My asthmatic son also has allergies. If he does not take his Zyrtec or Singulair (he's on EVERYTHING) we can really see a difference and he complains about the drip, which gives him a cough.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

I was going to mention post nasal drip too. I hated it when my kids got sick they would cough so much I thought their heads would explode. One of the explanations was PND but the doctor would give them Ventrol and it would clear up. Did they have variant asthma? I do not know. They are16 and 21 now and for the most part they do not cough anymore. But it was brutal when they did. It would be all night long as well as the day.