Re: child having dizzy spells

Posted By melissa on May 03, 1999 at 18:05:55
I have a question about my nine year old son.  He has been diagnosed with asthma. He has two medicines that he can take.  One being chromolyn sodium and the other albuterol.  I have done his peak flow daily and they are in his range 300-330.  He does this without his medicines.  So I have taken them away.  When he over exerts himself though, he becomes majorly diZzy and I have to go and get him from school because he vomits.  I have him take his peak flow at these times and they are again normal.  He has been having more lately and I am getting worried.  When he was six he had some test done on his heart and was found to have a slower heart rate than most kids his age but they did not find any heart disease going on.  Why would his heart rate be slower.  Would this cause him to be dizzy.  Should I be worried or am I just being paranoid.  There is heart disease on both sides of the family.  His grandfather has a leaky valve and his cousin was diagnosed with hplhs. Many of his uncles on my husbands side have severe heart disorders and a few have died. What symptoms should I be looking for?

[CCF CARDIO MD DLB]

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - DLB on May 04, 1999 at 09:16:58
Dear Melissa
The dizziness on exertion is a warning sign that something is wrong. You should take him in to his doctor to be evaluated. It could be that his asthma gets worse with exertion (not uncommon) and that your peak flow measurements do not capture this information. He could have a heart rate that does not speed up when he exercises or an irregular heart rate. He could also have problems with his heart valves. Only a thorough doctor's evaluation can sort through these possibilities.
I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to write back.
Information provided here is for general purposes only. Specific questions should be addressed to your own doctor. If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.











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