Dr. Lynn Cates
Specializing in pediatric infectious diseases and childhood immunizations.
|
|
 Ask Dr. Cates
Infant with Cough for Two Weeks | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Cates,
I have a five-month-old son. He's had a cough for the past two weeks. He doesn't have a fever or a runny nose. The cough is sometimes so violent that he starts crying. Last night we were all kept awake by his coughing. The pediatrician says it's just a cold, and that we should keep him upright and use a humidifier, which we've been doing anyway. Is it possible that it's an allergy instead of a cold?— Endorable in San Francisco | | | ANSWER |
May 14, 2001 | | | Dear Endorable,
You must be exhausted after two weeks of taking care of this cough! It's hard to know what is causing it to hang on so long, but your son's pediatrician may well be right that it is just a cold, since coughs due to colds can linger for quite a while. Prolonged cough also can be caused by other kinds of infections such as pneumonia or whooping cough (pertussis), or by non-infectious problems such as aspirating a foreign body, such as a peanut or small piece of food, a less common occurence in infants who are not yet mobile or eating table foods.
Your question about whether this might be an allergy instead of a cold is a good one. However, it is unusual for children this age to have allergies.
My best advice is for you is to continue to work with your son's pediatrician on ways to help keep him comfortable, and have her check him periodically until the cough has gone away just to be sure nothing is developing that needs specific treatment (for instance, occasionally children can develop pneumonia as a complication of a cold). You should also consult with her if he develops a fever, has trouble breathing, looks sick to you, or doesn't eat or drink well--particularly if he is losing weight. I hope he gets better soon!— by Lynn Cates, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
|
