Can croup be mistaken for asthma

[Suz5]

My 10 year son was just diagnosed with asthma. In the beginning of August he had a fever.
2 days later the fever went away, and he played basketball with his team. The next morning at 5am he was gasping for air. When I called the ped. she told that he had croup and  to put him under a steam shower for 20 minutes. After about 10-15 minutes the breathing was better. When we went to the docter, he had an ear infection in each ear and sinusitus. She gave him antibiotics. After he took the med. for the 10 days,he still had a bad cough for a long time that wouldn't go away, and he was having coughing fits. When he was rechecked he had bronchitis. He was given amoxicillin,and a neubulizer with Zephonex to be administered 3 times a day, but he still was having coughing fits. At this point I asked our ped for a referral to an allergenist, because I felt like there had to be something else wrong. The docter happened to also be an asthma docter. All the environmental allergy testing can out negative, but after being on the steriod inhaler for 10 days, the docter determined that my son had asthma. We also have had a major water leak in our house in April with a lot of damage to the house. I had the house tested for mold and all the environmental hazards. Everything can out normal. I can't help to think that the day my son developed the asthma on the day he played the basketball game. I have alot of regrets!


I also have 2 other children. One also developed a fever around the time my son did but the other didn't. They both ended up with bronchitis, but nothing else. It's 3 months later, and everyone is still coughing, but much better. What did I do wrong? Could the bronchitis and asthma been prevented?

[Tammy2009]

Asthma can come up after a virus or bacteria infection.  I would listen to the doctor about his treatment or ask about the possibility of doing full pulmonary function tests including a methacholine challenge to confirm the asthma diganosis.

I believe coughing after a bad infection can last up to 4 months.  There also is a asthma-like disorder called reactive airway disorder (I believe that is what it is called) that basically means his airways are super senstive due to the infection and will settle down as time goes on.  I believe reactive airways is also treated like asthma since the cause and symptoms are similar.  

As I have learned, the only thing to do to prevent asthma (or any illness at that) is to keep yourself healthy.  Eat good food, lots of fruits and vegetables and minimal sugar and fat, excerise and stay healthy.  Wash your hands before eating and regularly throughout the day.

Hopefully this helped and hope your son feels better soon.

[pdxmomof3boys]

I just came over to the asthma forum and saw your post.

I have three boys, all under the age of 6 and all with asthma. Their symptoms have lessened as they grow, and hopefully they will completely outgrow this problem. Their asthma is triggered by viruses and infections like croup and bronchitis. We have a nebulizer, a spacer and an aerochamber -- every kind of inhaler possible. They don't need them all the time, but when they do, we are prepared.

About a month ago, my 5 1/2 year old woke up gasping and sounding like he had croup. It was the worst we'd ever experienced and he told me he felt like he was going to die. It broke my heart! We also have dexamethasone (a steroid) on hand for times like this because it happens so often. I did the steam, the nebulizer with albuterol, and then a dose of the dexamethasone. He coughed for days. Croup, according to our experience and what our ped. says, usually is followed by ear infection and possibly lung infections like bronchitis. Your son may never have another symptom of asthma EVER.

Good luck to you! Our youngest still is the one that suffers the most. But it does get easier as they get older. Hang in there! It is scary, but when you have a plan and know what to do, it's a lot easier to get through!