Patient's question:
The child went to kindergarten today and has been coughing and having difficulty breathing ever since coming home. We thought he had a cold, so we gave him cold medicine at night. The next day he didn't get better, so we took him to the children's hospital to see a doctor. The doctor said he had asthma.Doctor's answer:
Hello, children with asthma often experience recurrent episodes of cough, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. Before the onset, there is usually a 1 to 2-day upper respiratory infection, similar to bronchitis in general. Older children tend to have a more acute onset, often occurring at night, which may be related to changes in weather at night. Active treatment is necessary to prevent it from progressing into typical asthma.