Could this be allergies or asthma?

[texasvet54]

My grandson is 2 1/2 years old.  He currently has pneumonia for the second time.  He had it this same time last year and was put on Levalbuterol and Xopenex both last year and this year.  His breathing and lungs are better while he is on the medication but when he comes off of it, he seems to get it again and at times, has trouble breathing.  The trouble breathing is always after he has a bit of a coughing fir.  The pulmonologist has not ruled out asthma, but he says that it is unlikely.  Also, my grandson has a low grade fever on and off during his bout with pneumonia.  Is this normal?  

Also, can allergies cause pneumonia or fever?

And, should he be tested for allergies?

Thanks,
TexasVet

[ivory67]

My son had pnuemonia (pneumonia) at 3 weeks old. I had been to the doctor several times about his breathing before he got sick and because he wasn't actually doing it at the time I brought him in they would think I was just an overreactive parent. They have said since then that he has asthma as best as they can tell because they would not actually officially diagnose him because he was under one year old. However, the things that I would watch for and bear in mind I'm new to this so I may not be the best one to ask is sucking in of the chest or belly  breathing. Also, a rattle or wheeze in the chest that you can hear or feel if you put your hand on their back. For my son it comes and goes throughout the day. Also, sometimes he breathes very rapidly. After the pneumonia it can take a long time to recover before things go back to normal. Another, thing that we watch for is when he gets a bit sick it sounds like he is loosing his voice but in fact he becomes breathless when he cries. As far as allergies I think asthma and allergies seem to be closely linked. Anyhow, good luck and I do believe strongly that a parent or in your case a grandparents insticts are very strong in knowing if their is something wrong or not so If you do beleive their is something more going on then don't be afraid to push a little with the doctors. You are his best advocate. Good luck