RSV - destined to have asthma??

blue72 wrote: My son had RSV last year @ 4 months of age. He was just diagnosed with it again. How many of you have had a child with RSV develop problems with asthma. We do not smoke and there is no family history of asthma but the way Jake tries and catch his breath sometimes makes me wonder. Also, just so I'm prepared. If he does have an asthma attack. What exactly do you do during an attack. Thanks.

luvmykids replied: My youngest had RSV at 3 wks, and has not really had asthatic trouble since. They consider her "high risk" during flu season, and when she gets a regular cold it affects her a little more severly in the respiratory department; she's had pneumonia twice, once each winter. We do the nebulizer here and there if her chest sounds really bad, but my son who did not have RSV is far more asthmatic than she is.

I would talk to your doctor more about being prepared for an attack, I'd hate to give you bad/unfounded advice. Colt had a true asthma attack only once, and we had his inhaler and carry it ever since just in case.

kit_kats_mom replied: It does increase the chances of asthma. We've not had any problems with my youngest DD who had RSV at 2 weeks old though. She does tend to get colds in her chest more frequently than her sister though.

jcc64 replied: If you suspect your child has the potential to have an asthma attack, discuss this with your dr ahead of time, and be sure to have the medication handy, just in case. In your child's case, I believe the meds would have to be administered orally until he is old enough to be taught how to inhale properly. They are used only on an as needed basis. If the child requires frequent use of the medication, then he might be put on a maintenance medication to keep the condition in check. This is taken daily, for as long as your dr believes is necessary.
My son had his first asthma attack at 6 yrs old, on the heels of a bout of bronchitis. We had no idea what was happening to him, except that he clearly was struggling to breathe. On the advice of my brother, who is a pediatrician, we rushed him to the ER, where he received breathing treatments with a nebulizer, which is what is done in acute situations, along with oral steroids to reduce the inflammation quickly. He was diagnosed with asthma, and I envisioned a life of sitting on the sidelines, watching his friends run and play. That is so NOT the case, in fact, he doesn't even use his meds anymore. (he's 13 now). Asthma is the type of condition that does not have to become such a big deal, providing it is kept under control and closely monitored.
Good luck. Try not to stress out too much about it, it's a condition that's very treatable, should you even end up in that situation.

amymom replied: Hi -- My daughter had RSV at 4 weeks, 11 months and again at 23 months. She was only ever tested for RSV those 3 times she may have had it others. Usually by 2 yrs old RSV is not a major concern, The ped was curious because of some unusual symptoms she had at 23 mos that is why he tested. Anyway, she is now 9 yrs old, Until about 1 yr ago every cold she got was more severe than other people's, she would get tired quickly, have trouble breathing sooner and it usually went into pneumonia. We have a nebulizer at home and an RX for meds for it. (the rx has expired by the way). She has been trouble free (with her respitory system) for ***knock on wood*** a full 13 mos now. She had a sinus infection January 2005, but it did not lead to anything more than that. Her last 'trouble' where she needed extra treatment was in Feb. or March of 2004.

The doctors warned me that RSV babies have a high incidence of asthma BUT ***knock on wood **** again! we thankfully have not experienced that. Also that horrible reoccuring RSV cough disappeared at around 6 yrs of age.

Good Luck to you, I think caution and learning are the way to go. But also do not worry it is only a predictor not a definite. And as Jeanne said Asthma is not unmanageable .

PrairieMom replied: In the studies that I have seen it isn't really clear if RSV can cause asthma, or if your child was already predisposed to breathing problems and the RSV just triggeres it. It is possible to have asthma with out ever having a family history of it, or being exposed to second hand smoke. That being said...

If you are concerned about it, I would talk to a pediatrician about it soon. If your son does have asthma you want to be prepared. There are tests that can be done, such as a methocholine challenge, or Pulmonary function testing. but they won't do that on a child that is so young. The main thing they will do is look for symptoms and treat them. so here is what you should look for:

Chronic dry hacky cough that doesn't go away

Wheezing or whisteling sound when he breaths

use of acessory breathing muscles like the being able to see his ribs stick out when he breaths or if his nostrils flare out when he breaths.

also, when he seems short of breath watch to see if his lips or tongue turn blue

If he has an attack get to the ER do not wait. Asthma attacks can progress very quickly, and are nothing to mess around with.

After you get a diagnosis your Dr. will give you a prescription for a quick acting medication like Albuterol or Xopenex that are used to open the airways and relieve shortness of breath. He may also prescribe you with a steroid like flovent or pulmocort to help prevent an attack. Both of these medications can be used as a nebluizer or in an inhaler.

If you have any questions please PM me. I'll see if I can be of any better help.

~~*Missi*~~ replied: I dont have any experience with this as my dd was premmie and had shots for RSV. With how many cases I do hear about I am beginning ot think that they should make them mandatory for anyone born in flu season not just premmies.



But good luck and hope he has no adverse effects

MamaJAM replied: DS#2 had RSV at 3 months old. Thankfully - we caught it early and he was able to be completely treated at home. Since then - he's shown signs of asthma with almost every cold. We keep the nebulizer out and handy at all times. The ped is a bit reluctant to make an official 'asthma' diagnosis...but it's probably just a matter of time.
DS#2 is only 2.5 years old though -- so there's a good chance that whatever this is/was he'll grow out of it.

Personally - I think DS#2 was predisposed to be asthmatic -- I don't think it was 'caused' by the RSV. He was born full-term and weighed 8 lbs 1 oz. Thankfully - he doesn't seem to get more colds than his brother and sisters do/did....but when he gets them they are often nasty.

Jamison'smama replied:
Thank you for saying this. Now having a second child with asthma (okay, "reactive airways" since they can't dignose this young), that's exactly my fear. Jack appears to be worse with this than Jamison and I dwell on that thought. Thank you for reminding me that this is controllable.

MamaJAM replied:
Just wanted to add to this --

My brother had bad asthma...this was in the 70s (I'm sure there are many better treatments now too). He never sat on the sidelines (well - except for with baseball - but he really stank at that ). He was a competative swimmer from age 4 through college. The docs had recommended swimming to my mother for him because it teaches you to control your breathing....and it's GREAT physical activity (every muscle gets worked at once).

luvmykids replied: Also, I don't know the numbers, but most kids with "childhood" ashtma outgrow it. My doc is of the belief that there is no such thing as childhood asthma, either they have asthma, or they don't. They may have respiratory issues they outgrow, but he hates to diagnose a kid with asthma unless it's the real deal and feels a lot of kids get labeled with that because of other factors that cause similar problems. I'm no expert, just passing that on.

PrairieMom replied:
I just want to clarify a little.

Studies have shown that many of the children that out grow their asthma don't actually out grow it, their lungs just get bigger so when they bronchospasam, they aren't as affected. If they have hypersensitive airways, chances are they will always be hypersensitive, you just may not notice it. This is one of the reasons that Docs are reluctant to diagnose asthma in children. Once you have that diagnosis you are stuck with it, even if you are asymptomatic.



It also helps to identify triggers and remove them. if attacks are being caused by an allergen, removing it may cause the attacks to go away.

amymom replied: It is so wonderful to have experts on these forums. I have learned so much lately. Thanks to Resp. Therapists everywhere but especially you here today!!!

PrairieMom replied:
I don't know much, but this just happens to be my department.