5 year old with chronic cough

Karen - posted on 02/20/2012

Things to consider that maybe you havent thought about do you have carpet? If you do do you have a really good vaccume? Dust and dust mites in carpet are abundant. Do you have pets? I found out after it was many Dr visits later that my yellow lab was making my son cough. Try an air purifier it helps and make sure you have enough moisture in the air. Also make sure your child is drinking a lot of water. Sometimes we as parents are busy and dont always moniter the amount of water our children drink. just a few things to look at

Ivy - posted on 02/20/2012

I saw someone else post about this already but wanted to add that yes(!) reflux can cause this. My son coughed for years and it turned out it was from atypical reflux symptoms. he has a prescription for rinitadine and it has worked wonders on his cough and sleep is uninterrupted now. Good luck!!

Brandi - posted on 02/20/2012

My daughter had the same thing. It started when she was about 2 and we were at her ped. several times a month for many months. They would always listen to her lungs and not hear anything until one time a nurse prac. said she thought she heard a cracking sound. She had to listen very closely. They finally diagnosed her with Reactive Airway disease and put her on Singular (sp?). We took this for several years and she no longer needs it. She is 11 now. It is a very scary thing because they explained to me that when you have this the sacs in your lungs get stiff and can scar and the tissue will not heal causing long term lung damage. We had my DD tested for allergies last year and found out that she is highly allerigic to oak trees - on a scale of 1-6, she is a 4. We can't even have our windows open in the spring, summer or fall. Definitely keep being persistent.

Greta - posted on 02/20/2012

I would give her colic calm and acidophilus.



Have another idea but would have to research it more first.

Greta - posted on 02/20/2012

Sounds like candida albicans.

CANDACE - posted on 02/20/2012

Have you had your child cked for allergies. Do you have a cat or dog/s. If so they can be causing it.Plus if your house is too dry.I have experienced the same thing with my grandson from age 3weeks.he is now 7 and still struggling with it.He too is on a inhaler. Have you had her food allergy tested. Are you near a children's hosp who does them/? if so make an appointment to take her.My grandson goes. also,is sh eon any nose sprays?If not try them,but you need a dr script,my grandson is on nasonex ,one spray in each nostril daily, and also patanese one spray twice a day. she can have post nasal drip.Also i use a little dimetapp on days of school, and when out a little more like a teaspoon,and at bedtime.

My grandson is on inhalers,nose sprays the dimetapp,.and he just got over bronchitis,with asthma and croup and now 2 nights later he woke up coughing like a dog again.all i could say is oh no not again. i gave him his xoponex inhaler,and dimetapp as long as it is over 4 hrs since last dose. His humidifier had stopped working that day,so he didnt have it on.i had to go to my home to get mine.once i turned it on, he stopped coughing.try these ok.but you do need scripts for the nose sprays.

Poor baby,it makes it so hard for them.Also,do you have a hyper allergenic pillow,plus hyper allergic pillow cover.you can get them at walmart. i know what you are going through,as i been there done that. If you have any more questions feel free to contact me. if i had a way to leave you my email,or facebook name i would.but i dont want certain people finding it.BEFORE I FORGET, YOU WANT A COOL MIST ONE,NOT A WARM ONE,AS HEAT DRYS YOU UP MORE.DID I ASK IF YOUR HOUSE IS DRY? Also dont paint in the winter where you can not ventilate well.everyone smelling paint does have fumes that are bad for asthmatics etc.

from Nana candy

CANDACE - posted on 02/20/2012

Have you had your child cked for allergies. Do you have a cat or dog/s. If so they can be causing it.Plus if your house is too dry.I have experienced the same thing with my grandson from age 3weeks.he is now 7 and still struggling with it.He too is on a inhaler. Have you had her food allergy tested. Are you near a children's hosp who does them/? if so make an appointment to take her.My grandson goes. also,is sh eon any nose sprays?If not try them,but you need a dr script,my grandson is on nasonex ,one spray in each nostril daily, and also patanese one spray twice a day. she can have post nasal drip.Also i use a little dimetapp on days of school, and when out a little more like a teaspoon,and at bedtime.

My grandson is on inhalers,nose sprays the dimetapp,.and he just got over bronchitis,with asthma and croup and now 2 nights later he woke up coughing like a dog again.all i could say is oh no not again. i gave him his xoponex inhaler,and dimetapp as long as it is over 4 hrs since last dose. His humidifier had stopped working that day,so he didnt have it on.i had to go to my home to get mine.once i turned it on, he stopped coughing.try these ok.but you do need scripts for the nose sprays.

Poor baby,it makes it so hard for them.Also,do you have a hyper allergenic pillow,plus hyper allergic pillow cover.you can get them at walmart. i know what you are going through,as i been there done that. If you have any more questions feel free to contact me. if i had a way to leave you my email,or facebook name i would.but i dont want certain people finding it.

from nana candy

Chrystal - posted on 02/20/2012

I believe you are right, my daughter who is 5 had the same thing. We just got her diagnosis, and it is asthma. Now we are 5 or so months into her diagnosis and she is on 5 daily meds, along with ABSOLUTELY no smoking around her. Now she sleeps through the night, and can actually play during the day! Good Luck!!

Lisa - posted on 02/20/2012

Yeah, I like the check the allergy answers. My son also has allergies, and his doctor gave him Hydroxyine. But after I read the side effects I quit giving it to him (too strong). Your air might be very dry, which aggrivates this sort of thing. Try a humidifier. And last year we sprang for an air cleaner. This year his allergies seem alot better, he's turning 7 in a few days.

Good luck.

Beth - posted on 02/20/2012

My daughter years ago was the same way, she's 35 now and finally seen an allergy doctor and was told it was allergies. She will still get it now and then but she now knows what trigger's it. I was told way back then more water so they can produce a better cough. So I would see an allergist. Good Luck!

Betty - posted on 02/20/2012

My daughter is 9 now & we went through a constant cough- usually worse at night. It turned out 2 be allergies. She has been on meds since. Hope things get better soon. I know how frustrating out can be.

Nina - posted on 02/20/2012

I would try an OTC allergy medicine to see if that helps. My 5 year old has had similar symptoms and responded well to liquid zyrtec. He took it for about a month last winter and the cough was eliminated within a couple of days. Also give the child's bedroom a very good cleaning.

LaVerne - posted on 02/20/2012

The first time I ever took my son to a doctor, he was 4 years old and had a cough I couldn't get rid of myself with herbs and nutrition. He had the cough for 8 months. Not sick, just a cough. The doctor's put him on antibiotics with no improvement. I finally had our chiropractor test him and he had dysbiosis (an imbalance in intestinal flora). I was surprised since he had never had antibiotics prior to that. I gave him probiotics (to repopulate his intestinal flora) and the cough disappeared. Leaky gut can also be the cause of the allergies that so many children experience. Probiotics can't hurt and have so many health benefits, I would certainly give it a try.

Diane - posted on 02/20/2012

It may be Asthma, my son (who is 20 now) always had a cough, never wheezed sometimes he would have breathing difficulties mainly when he was sick. I took him to a pediatric pulmonologist/allergiest and got the diagnosis of asthma, mulitple allergies. With the help of the right medications, nebulizer and allergy shots he got better. Oh and his cough sounded like croup, but you don't have croup 2-3 times a season. Good luck

Michelle - posted on 02/20/2012

My 6 year old daughter has had it as well. She also has an inhaler. My doctor has put her on antibiotics for another reason and the cough has disappeared.

Lesley - posted on 02/20/2012

My son sounds similar...he gets a croup like cough often and has been since infancy (he's now 6). I have had to use a steroid at times when it gets extreme but, more often than not...a decongestant, Tylenol ( to reduce swelling), and a humidifier has helped him beat the coughing. It is more severe in the winter so, I keep his humidifier going throughout the night during winter months to help out. I also decrease his milk intake to reduce mucus buildup. Hope that helps!

Ilona - posted on 02/20/2012

i am a grandma , and my kids are now 27 and 28 and my grandchildren are 19 months and 4 years. my 4 year old has this "persistant " cough. just watch when ??? they cough!!!

i find he does NOT cough when asleep ? and when singing??

doctors give these inhalors out to calm the parents .. all the children want is the attention which the doctor is not going to say to you. it turns into a habbit when they get lots of attention for it.... it is distressing and may have started with a true cough. but sometimes (without them knowing it) it gets you sole attention and gives them a route to haveing your complete attention. if you notice that they dont cough when sining . then without mentioning the cough just start sining there fav song and see if it gets less..

hope this helps , im not critisising kids are manipulitave and know which buttons to push as ALL mums find out ... as a nanny for many years before i even had my own ...ignore behaviour you dont want and praise what you do want. "like training a puppy LOL)

Lisa - posted on 02/20/2012

reflux would not give a kid a cough my duaghter is a 28weeker and has reflux and failure to thrive and has no croup cough unless she gets sick

Melanie - posted on 02/20/2012

@Leanne Oaten...... OMG!!! I have two kids (2.5 year old B and a 15 month D) BOTH have the same cough... we are told THE SAME THING everytime the coughs flare and we take them to the Dr. I have lost how many drs our two kids have been to just to be told that there is nothing wrong.

One Dr has recently told me that my son and my daughter have reactive airways (pre- cursor to asthma). He explained that the coughs are triggered by small things like the slightest change in weather, dust, grass.... shall I continue?? So pretty much all of the normal allegants. My son is due to see an ENT specalist soon about another problem, so im going to ask them about this too.

Elouise - posted on 02/19/2012

Naomi, my daughter's nasal drip cleared up when I took her off dairy products, it took maybe a week to work. Worth a shot?

Chalon - posted on 02/19/2012

Sounds like it could also be allergy induced asthma. She could be allergic to something that triggers it. Maybe have her tested for allergies. My daughter had asthma from 1-3 years of age. It seemed to get worse in the colder months or when pollen and mold were high. She is now 8 and hardly ever has symptoms. Hope you figure it out.

Mandy - posted on 02/19/2012

My daughter had the same thing - i went through asthma pumps, singulair, a whole lot of other antihistamines, but nothing worked. Blood tests showed no allergies. My last resort was a homeopath and none of the above worked, he said she was allergic to rooibos tea - when she stopped the tea she has never gotten it again. Her other triggers are perfume and granadillas. These are products not included on a normal blood test for allergies.

Debz - posted on 02/19/2012

My daughter had the same. We stopped all milk products and switched to goats milk and cheese. It stopped within a month!

Jennifer - posted on 02/19/2012

Sounds like both my dd's they have allergy induced asthma. It mostly effects them when the weather gets crazy and the wind picks up. They both take zyrtec daily and albuterol breathing treatments when coughs get real bad. I would maybe get a second opinion if you are worried it may be something else. Just my opinion. I wish you the best of luck and that your dd gets to feeling better soon.

Amy - posted on 02/19/2012

My 2nd son had the same problem and was diagnosed w cough variant asthma, tested for allergies and had no response, allergic that is...he takes singulair and it really works well to control it.

Tami - posted on 02/19/2012

Hi I have read all the comments and I am wondering if you have dogs or cats? If so this could be a factor with her allergies and or asthma.

Fiona - posted on 02/19/2012

I'm 43 and have that barking cough on and off my whole life. It's under control now by long acting rescue meds plus steroids with the occasional short-acting rescue med. However, it was fine for years unless I got a cold.



My main triggers are a cold, reflux and allergies. Now, if I start to get the barking cough I immediately take a puff of ventolin and a Gaviscon for reflux - normally stops it unless it's a more persistent reaction in which case I take a liquid antihistamine and maximum ventolin. If it's after a cold I take honey or another cough suppressant to stop the cough at night.



One valuable thing I learnt over the years was that the more you cough, the more irritated the airways seem to get so I was advised to resist the urge to cough as much as I could and to try to steady my breathing and be as calm as possible. Often I'd be able to bypass a worse coughing fit by doing that.

Tricia - posted on 02/19/2012

I have asthma but was not diagnosed until I was an adult. Now the doctors say I probably always had it. The thing is, they always remarked that I didn't wheeze. What finally convinced them that it was asthma was that I started using a peak expiratory flow meter (a little plastic tube you blow into to see how far up you can get the little ball inside to go) and charting my results. This convinced the doctor that my breathing was under par and she sent me to a pulmonologist for more tests and an official diagnosis. The first peak flow meter I had actually belonged to my little boy, as he'd been diagnosed with asthma, but I had just been told I had bronchitis or reactive airways due to illness (cough, no wheeze). This may not be the case for your daughter, but it would be worth getting a second opinion in order to make sure she's getting proper care. It might also help to see an allergy specialist to see if there are allergens causing her to cough. Good luck!

Lisa - posted on 02/19/2012

its called croop my duaghters have it and cant get rid of it

Deborah - posted on 02/19/2012

Have her checked for alergies. My son was the same way and I had him tested for alergies.And found he had a lot of them that in time he out grew some of them. He is now 17.

Amy - posted on 02/19/2012

May also want to consider reflux???

Carol - posted on 02/19/2012

Sounds just like my oldest child. She had the exact same symptoms and was diagnosed by her pediatritrician with "cough variant asthma" or "coughing asthma." She used an inhaler daily and a rescue inhaler. She is now 18 and has grown out of this condition.

Amy - posted on 02/19/2012

Request a referal to a lung specialist.

Jennifer - posted on 02/19/2012

I didn't read the other reply's but my son has the same thing and his allergist put him on an inhaler called Flovent and it is working....he has 2 different dosages...one for when he is actively coughing and an decreased dose for when he isn't coughing and it seems to be working. With the weather being so crazy we have had to go back and forth between the two quite a bit but usually only need the lower dose. He takes 2 puffs in the morning and 2 puffs before bed. Hope this help :)

Candy - posted on 02/19/2012

my son had this problem and believe it or not it was in his head, he was sick for a while and when he got better the cough would not go away so they sent him to a lung doctor and there was nothing wrong with him, they told him to imagine the cough was like a light switch and when he felt it coming on to turn the switch off and after about 2 weeks it was gone he was 10 so i don't know if you 5 year old would understand

Bronwyn - posted on 02/19/2012

By the way Leanne, back in the early '50's a doctor told MY mum "your daughter is allergic to the common cold"

Stream forward over 30 years and a doctor told me the exact same thing, using the exact same words, about my then 2 yr old baby.

My current respiratory specialist - I attend the most prominent hospital in Qld for resp ailments - has given me every test available and then told me - "oh yes, you do have asthma, I just don't understand it"!!!

There is also the medical thought, from the Royal Bris Children's, that GORD (reflux) can spill over and irritate the trache and upper airway mucosa hence the Zantac/Ranitidine/Nexium treatments.

I have nursed for over 40 years - have looked into everything I can find available but long ago came to the conclusion that steroids are a good preventer but come with too many side effects for my liking and i only take them when i really have to. i wish they'd been around when i was a child though. i can remember my sternum and rib cage being sore to the touch as a child - i would cough all winter long. My daughter, prior to doctors recognising, believing and treating her, would regularly cough till she vomited, sometimes sleeping through the whole process, she would be so exhausted. One day she vomited up 'coffee-grounds'. (old blood that had settled on the stomach) I took a specimen to the Dr and he commenced treatment there and then. She had traumatised her already inflammed airways by all the coughing and ended up coughing up and swallowing the blood.

I take the salbutamol as required. Try not to catch colds. Often in my older years the common cold has set off such reactions as to require triple antibiotics prior to steroid treatment. It can snow-ball. You learn to live around it. I wish you luck with reduction of symptoms in the teen yrs. a long way off yet.

Jessica - posted on 02/19/2012

Go see the allergist. We spent years trying to figure it all out, and the allergist did a methocholine (sp?) test and determined our daughter had cough variant asthma. A daily inhaler and a rescue inhaler for the occasional rough days and we're doing so much better! Good luck!

Jessica - posted on 02/19/2012

My daughter had asthma which was a cough and my son had a chronic cough. I was reading a book about the 4 A (Asthma, allergies, autism and ADAH) one of the things it talked about was diet and eating organic. So we went 100% organic and both were better in a little over a week. My daughter is no longer on an inhaler. Also some allergies to food like wheat, gluten or dairy can show up as a cough or low immune system. If you have a things that help your hows to smell good (plug ins, sprayers candles) the chemicals are bad in them and can really aggravate an cough or asthma. So have formaldehyde in them. Good luck.

Allyson - posted on 02/19/2012

A cough can be an allergy. My son will have a persistent cough and I give him Zyrtec and the cough does go away. Also, I've noticed the cough is during certain seasons--winter and spring are the worst. Might be a good idea to take your daughter to see an allergist.

Bronwyn - posted on 02/19/2012

you've hit the nail on the head Leanne. Warm moist air can help also - get a humidifier for the bedroom. Cough can often get worse in the early evening and wee hours of the morning when the air temps drop. Not a lot else i know of to do except inhaled preventative steroids and u want to avoid them at all costs believe me - your daughter has hypersensitive airways - catching a cold will often trigger a long long period of non-productive cough response. Jumping into a pool of cold water can sometimes do the same. Other allergies are often related. I grew up with it (now 61yrs) my daughter grew up with it (now 30) both of us grew out of it in the teen period and now in the later years of my life it has returned. My daughter has not experienced it's return yet though. Good luck :)

Lori - posted on 02/19/2012

You said she is on lots of herbs and vitamins. Have you tried vitamin C to bowel tolerance? When we start to feel sick with anything, I give myself and my boys extra vitamin C throughout the day and even into the night if needed. Check out Doctoryourself.com for an explanation of how much to take. It sounds simplistic but it works. It's cheap enough and worth a try since it sounds like other things have not worked. Hope this helps.

Gloria - posted on 02/19/2012

Sounds like me when I was a kid...and I was diagnosed with Allergies to everything and asthma...now I am going through the same issue with my 4 yr old and my 10 week old baby...my oldest does not have any of the symptoms...lucky her!!

Jen - posted on 02/19/2012

I have heard that eating according to your blood type can clear up most things that are ailing you. It may be worth a try. Certain blood types should steer clear of certain foods and if they don't it can result in all kinds of problems, a cough is one of them.

Megan - posted on 02/19/2012

My question would be not so much what is it as what is causing it. If your child is healthy, eats well, gets enough rest etc, she shouldn't be experiencing chronic cough symptoms. Is it possible that she is living with constant exposure to mildew and molds around the home? If the symptoms are pretty constant, then you can assume the the causes are too. Mold in the home is far more common than people suspect especially if you live in a humid climate (but high humidity isn't necessary). Our first house had massive mold problems in the basement level and that was in a very dry climate. In the winter, black mold would grow in the corners of the house on outside walls and the carpet had to be entirely removed on that level. Carpets harbour mold and release it as dust even when it's not the season for it. And it's not always obvious that you have mold in the house. There are other air borne allergens that could be causing your daughter's distress too, but molds are by far the most prevalent causes. Ultimately her immune system is constantly under duress by what you describe and that is really difficult to live with, especially once she starts school where a whole host of new challenges will be introduced (flourescent lighting may cause your daughter problems as well, often schools use harsh cleaners also). Anyway, if you can pinpoint the allergens that are causing her immune system to be on guard constantly, you will give her little body a rest and allow it to build it's strength and resilience up to be able to hold her in good stead for all sorts of other challenges. For coughs, the irritants are almost certainly airborne.....pollens, chemicals and toxins from air fresheners, pesticide/herbicides, even perfumes and such, as well as molds, cigarette smoke etc....basically anything she could be breathing in. Good luck in sorting it out. It is such a worry for you to be knowing she is going through this and not knowing how to help. Once you find the cause(s), you can work at eliminating them and all will be well. Here is a website link regarding mold allergies in case it's helpful. I haven't really had a close look at it, but at first glance it looks like it's got some good info.....http://www.theallergyreliefcenter.com/mo...

Best of luck! Megan Mansbridge

Amber - posted on 02/19/2012

We had to have a formal asthma test done for our 14 year old daughter. It's called a lung function test and during the test they put her in a pressurized tube and measured her lung function. It accurately diagnoses asthma. Our 5 year old also has a cough and her doctor put her on children's Claritin and singulair. He said one boosts the other. Her cough went away

Melissa - posted on 02/19/2012

take a look at this article and see if this helps you out at all as well. It was just posted in the local paper. May provide some education. http://www.therecord.com/living/healthfi...

Joelle - posted on 02/19/2012

I have an 8 year old son who is going through this same thing. It's awful trying to find a solution. One asthma doc has said he does not have asthma. The pediatrician has so far labeled it cough variant constricted airway disease...or maybe reflux. He is currently taking Zantac and an inhaled steroid. Eventually they will probably take him off Zantac but who knows. I've also heard of another child with this and it turned out he was having an exercise induced anaphyalaxis. We have not done any food allergy testing but we have done all the rest. Our son is not allergic to anything so far.



I will tell you that for us, the inhalers (he has albuterol for when the coughing gets worse) seem to completely wipe it out. If it's not asthma, I'd be surprised. Soccer season is coming up and that will be another good test.



Jake misses between in excess of 20 days of school a year because of respiratory illnesses, including pneumonia every year.



If you'd like to stay in touch...joelle@bcSpa4u.com

Jill - posted on 02/19/2012

My daughter has had the same exact symptoms from the time she was an infant and when she gets anything upper respiratory (ear infections, cold, etc.), it gets worse and the cough is relentless. Hers has always been a productive cough. It also gets worse with weather changes. She was diagnosed with asthma by both an allergist and a pulmonary specialist. With daily asthma medicine and breathing treatments, only as needed, we have gotten it under control. We have learned that asthma presents itself differently in different kids -- for one child it might be wheezing and for another it could be a productive cough. Would strongly recommend an appointment with a pulmonary specialist.

Nonya - posted on 02/19/2012

if you find out let me know, my daughter has had the same cough for going on a month now and no one knows why it gets really bad at night causing her to throw up :(

Victoria - posted on 02/19/2012

I have a nephew with asthma and when he gets sick, we put vicks babyrub on the bottom of his feet with socks on and about 5 - 10 minutes later, his cough is half way to almost all the way gone. I hope this helps you out.