croup

my son suffers with chronic allergy having blocked sinuses and like 4 times a year sith a slight cold it develops to an acute croup.  constantly 3 times a day I give him ventolin inhaler and sometimes at night ventolin syrup,  twice a day aircort/becotide inhaler,  at night Neoclarityn syrup and when he's with a blocked nose or sinus (which is most of the days) I have to give him actifed or cosfed syrup.  When having a frequent dry cough turning to croup I have to use rectodelt suppositories and antibiotic to cure plus all that also taken to health centre for nebuliser.  It all works my only problem and question is will this influence my son's growth and will it be of any harm?

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Thanks for writing to the forum!
What is important is you must find out what is causing this allergy. Common allergens are pollen, mold, dust, pet dander, synthetic fiber, cosmetics or drugs. You must get an allergy test done, either a skin test or RAST, to know what your son is allergic to. Also in such cases you must consult a respiratory or chest specialist who will help you adjust your son’s medication such that so much medication will not be required. Definitely all medicines will have an effect on his health. Steam inhalation too helps a lot.
Also, keeping the room clean is a must. However you cannot clean your environment completely. Wearing a mask, especially designed for people with dust and pollen allergy will help filter a lot of allergens.
I am providing you with a few links that may help you. Cleaning comes second. First is to avoid anything that collects dust and is not easy to clean.
http://www.zirtek.co.uk/Dust_Allergy/Making_A_Room_Dust_Free.aspx
http://www.peoples-health.com/no_more_dust.htm
http://www.calgaryallergy.ca/Articles/English/dustfree.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_2190066_make-bedroom-dust-free.html
Hope this helps. It is difficult to comment beyond this at this stage. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!