Scenario

Mum of a healthy 22 month old boy named Toba mentions that her son constantly coughs,  especially at night, and finds it difficult to breath through his nostrils, so uses his mouth. He also breaths rapidly, and sometimes makes some whistling sounds when he is asleep. Toba always seems to have running nose, that accompanies his frequent coughs, and despite numerous multivitamins syrup, cough and cold medicines, the wheezinga and cough never seems to go away.

It seems like most babies or toddlers I know are currently having some type of sinus symptom such cold and cough, or difficulty breathing at night. I get a lot of calls from family and friends asking me to recommend medications to help treat these symptoms, however half of the time it’s not usually just allergy, cold or viral infection that has refused to get rid of itself. It just might be something else. Childhood Asthma

What we might not know is that about half of all children with asthma show some signs of the condition before they reach the age of 5 years.

Things to watch out for:

• Coughing
• Fast breaths
• Wheezing(whistling sounds) 
• Dark/bluish tint on face, fingernails, or lips, indicates poor oxygenation, 
• Flared nostrils, 
• Restlessness

Asthma in babies (under 12months) can be treated with medications that help open up the airways, which are typically very small. Due to the size of their airways, allergy testing or imaging studies on infant’s lungs must be conducted to determine the causative agent(s). Know triggers and irritants such as smoke, pollen, and dust should also be avoided. 

Summary

Toba now has a Ventolin inhaler with a face mask. He also has a nebulizer with Ventolin nebules which mum administers interchangeably to help him with his asthma symptoms. In addition he uses some antihistamine to help with any allergy related symptoms, and was also prescribed a steroid inhaler that he uses twice a day to help him control his symptoms.

More importantly, to help prevent a flare up:

• Mum and dad have now stopped smoking completely in the house, and when they do smoke outside, they take off their clothes immediately and wash then to rid of the lingering smell.
• They dust and vacuum frequently, and have since gotten rid of most of their carpets that harbors dust and dirt. 
• During high pollen count or rainy season, Toba is kept indoors.

If you have concerns about your baby wheezing or showing other potential asthma s, speak to your OneHealth pharmacists today

*Please note; some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.*