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Respiratory Disorders (Expert Forum)
frequent pneumonia
Answered by
This forum is for questions and support regarding lung and respiratory issues such as: Allergies, Asthma, Bronchitis, Colds - Flu, Chronic Cough, COPD, Cystic Fibrosis, Emphysema, Fibrosis, Lung Abscess, Nasal Polyps, Pleurisy, Pneumonia, Sarcoidosis, Sinusitis, Tuberculosis.
frequent pneumonia
by sarah and eric, Aug 27, 2004 12:00AM
my son's got pneumonia at 8-9 mos old, also had really bad exzema (eczema) with it. spent one night in the hospital. when he was 1 1/2 he got pneumonia again. spent a week in the hospital. the doc was unsure of the type of pneumonia, and quite frankly didnt seem to know what he was doing. he really pushed hard to him on singular. even raised his voice to me. he explained that if he wasnt on singular all of his colds would turn into pneumonia. that he may develope asthma, and that singular may not work on him, but if it did, it would also work on his younger brother. (younger brother never had any type of problems) i didnt want to put him on something he may not need. hes had a couple colds, which have never turned into pneumonia, until last year- 4yrs old. ive gone thru a series of doctors, no one said anything about asthma until i brought it up. he doesnt have any problems other than when he gets a serious cold. he also runs high fevers with his bouts of pneumonia. is this asthma? i am asking to see a pulmonologist. does anyone have any advice? or stories simialr to this? dont want my sone diagonsed with this if he doesnt have it. does that make sense?
Doctor's Answer
by National Jewish, Sep 03, 2004 12:00AM
, Sep 03, 2004 12:00AM
Viral infections like a cold can cause inflammation of the airways of the lungs. Usually when this occurs, your son may cough when he is active or laughs. This inflammation can cause wheezing and coughing. After the cold is gone, it is possible for the inflammation to linger. This inflammation can last for several weeks. Sometimes this inflammation may linger for 3 to 6 months. Eventually the inflammation will go away, and then the wheezing and coughing will stop. This is called reactive airways disease (RAD) and behaves a lot like asthma. This inflammation often clears more quickly when it is treated with an inhaled steroid medicine, which is given to treat asthma. It may be possible to keep your son well by using Singulair® (montelukast sodium) every day. Your son’s doctor is the best judge of this.
When this continues, it is generally considered to be asthma. There are a variety of things that can make asthma worse. These things are called triggers. It is common for colds to trigger asthma, especially in children. For some children colds are the only thing that trigger asthma problems. Also some children start to have problems with asthma only after having a severe lung infection, like pneumonia.
A diagnosis of asthma is made based upon a good evaluation. This should include:
· Your son’s health history, focusing on his past breathing difficulty
· His family’s history of asthma
· A thorough physical exam, especially his symptoms at the time he is seen
Evaluating young children for asthma is not a very easy task. Many doctors will follow a child for a period of time to determine if the child wheezes or not. So a younger child may experience recurrent episodes before an actual diagnosis of asthma is made.
Depending on your son’s age his doctor may have some testing done to evaluate his breathing. These tests may include:
· Chest and sinus x-rays
· Spirometry. This simple breathing test provides detailed information about how his lungs are working. It will show if there is obstruction in his airways. This testing can be helpful to show if your son’s symptoms are due to asthma or RAD. This testing is not commonly used by family doctors or pediatricians, but is available at most academic medical centers.
For spirometry to be helpful in determining if your son has asthma or RAD, he needs to be able to follow directions well. Generally children need to be at least school age to do this. Until children are old enough to do this testing, they are commonly treated with asthma medicines like Singulair® (montelukast sodium) to control the symptoms.
When a person has eczema they are more likely to develop asthma. About 50% of children with eczema develop asthma. This can start anytime after the eczema, usually by the third birthday.
For breathing difficulty many children see their family doctor or pediatrician. You and your son’s doctor may choose to have him seen by a specialist. This would be either a pediatric allergist or pediatric lung specialist called a pulmonologist. We recommend this if any one of the following occurs:
· Severe breathing episode
· Several visits to the hospital or emergency room in the last year
· Frequent treatment with steroid tablets or syrup
· Confusion with the diagnosis
· Allergies are being considered
· Breathing difficulty seems to be getting worse
· Conditions that complicate asthma such as chronic sinusitis, nasal polyps, or vocal cord dysfunction
When this continues, it is generally considered to be asthma. There are a variety of things that can make asthma worse. These things are called triggers. It is common for colds to trigger asthma, especially in children. For some children colds are the only thing that trigger asthma problems. Also some children start to have problems with asthma only after having a severe lung infection, like pneumonia.
A diagnosis of asthma is made based upon a good evaluation. This should include:
· Your son’s health history, focusing on his past breathing difficulty
· His family’s history of asthma
· A thorough physical exam, especially his symptoms at the time he is seen
Evaluating young children for asthma is not a very easy task. Many doctors will follow a child for a period of time to determine if the child wheezes or not. So a younger child may experience recurrent episodes before an actual diagnosis of asthma is made.
Depending on your son’s age his doctor may have some testing done to evaluate his breathing. These tests may include:
· Chest and sinus x-rays
· Spirometry. This simple breathing test provides detailed information about how his lungs are working. It will show if there is obstruction in his airways. This testing can be helpful to show if your son’s symptoms are due to asthma or RAD. This testing is not commonly used by family doctors or pediatricians, but is available at most academic medical centers.
For spirometry to be helpful in determining if your son has asthma or RAD, he needs to be able to follow directions well. Generally children need to be at least school age to do this. Until children are old enough to do this testing, they are commonly treated with asthma medicines like Singulair® (montelukast sodium) to control the symptoms.
When a person has eczema they are more likely to develop asthma. About 50% of children with eczema develop asthma. This can start anytime after the eczema, usually by the third birthday.
For breathing difficulty many children see their family doctor or pediatrician. You and your son’s doctor may choose to have him seen by a specialist. This would be either a pediatric allergist or pediatric lung specialist called a pulmonologist. We recommend this if any one of the following occurs:
· Severe breathing episode
· Several visits to the hospital or emergency room in the last year
· Frequent treatment with steroid tablets or syrup
· Confusion with the diagnosis
· Allergies are being considered
· Breathing difficulty seems to be getting worse
· Conditions that complicate asthma such as chronic sinusitis, nasal polyps, or vocal cord dysfunction
