3Yr with Multiple Cases of Pneumonia

My son has asthma. He gets pneumonia almost every time he gets a cold! His has never been an issue for us either. We go in to the doctor for a lingering cough or something totally different and find out he has pneumonia.

First of all, let me explain to you why it happens. Children with asthma have a more restricted airway. Think of you drinking out of a McDonalds straw while a child with asthma drinks out of a tiny coffee straw. So, when you get a cold, you cough and the phlegm comes up. A child with asthma will cough much more, and will get almost nothing up. Many kids with asthma also suppress the urge to cough because one cough often leads to a coughing attack. All of this phlegm settles in the lungs and thus... pneumonia.

Here is what we have learned works for preventing it (other than making sure he doesn't get a cold). When my son has a cold, we use his inhaler a couple times a day even if he is not showing signs of trouble breathing. This opens up his airway making it easier to get the phlegm up. We NEVER use a cough suppressant as I do with my other child to help her sleep. At night, and sometimes during the day, we give his an expectorant (guaifenesin).. Mucinex, Robitussin, etc. This thins the mucus making it easier to get up. Also, occasionally we use PediaCare Vapor Plugs or Vicks Vapor Plugs. For some reason, breathing the menthol vapors all night helps more than anything else.

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I used to work in pediatrics and when we saw a kid with multiple cases of pneumonia we always ruled out that it was not caused by aspiration. Any chance that she could have reflux/GERG and be aspirating into her lungs?

Best wishes.

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Hello T.,

Often kids don't look as sick as they are, because they play and run around and play like normal. It's important to watch for the subtle signs, like not being hungry, sleeping a lot or in this case a rattling in the chest.

It's also important that the Mom use the medication as prescribed. It's hard to get kids to take meds, so some parents will think most of the medication is good enough so there is less fighting. The problem with this is the infection becomes stronger & medications won't work anymore.

I agree with the other writer, for your freind to see a specialist. When the lungs are already having trouble, like with asthma, then pneumonia can be harder to cure.

I wish you all the best of luck.

R. Magby

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Michelle S. has given you a great overview of the whats and whys of pneumonia for kids with asthma. But be warned that a recent study has shown menthol actually causes MORE lung congestion for many children, so use cautiously.

Research has also shown that many people/children are seriously deficient in Vitamin D (the "sunshine" vitamin), and that this can make us much more susceptible to infections of all sorts. A supplement of 1000 I.U. daily of cholecalciferol (the most usable form of vitamin D) daily is now recommended by many doctors and pediatricians. This is especially important in climates where kids get little sun exposure in the winter or who use sunblocks all summer. (Vit. D is also important for pulling calcium into growing bones.)

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You friend should take her child to a pediatric pulmonary specialist. A lot of things need to be taken into consideration when evaluating a kid with recurrent pneumonia:
- is there anything in the child's history that indicates damage to the lungs, that may make the child more susceptible to infection (injury, prematurity, certain types of infections)
- do the lungs actually totally clear in between bouts (as shown on an x-ray)
- has the child been diagnosed with a condition that may make her more susceptible (such as acid reflux, immune deficiency, asthma itself can be a contributing factor)

There are so many factors to consider and depending on the child's development and response to medication doctors and families sometimes opt to forgo more invasive tests in favor of a wait and see approach. In any case she should see a specialist so she can make an educated choice about her daughter's health care.

Good luck!

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My 9 yo granddaughter has had asthma since she was a baby. I learned that when one has asthma their lungs can have extra fluid in their lungs which they can be aware of but anyone listening to her could be unaware that the person was actually having an asthma attack. Has a medical person talked with both the mother and her child about being aware of certain signs.

MY daughter, my granddaughter's mother is unable to pick up on some signs. My granddaughter tends to ignore them but when I ask her if she's having just a little bit of trouble breathing she will often say that she is. One treatment with her inhaler takes care of it. I've noticed that if she doesn't use the inhaler (sometimes she refuses) that she will began wheezing later. Over time she is learning to pay more attention.

I'm not sure what I pick up on but I'll try to explain. I think it has something to do with how she looks. Even tho she is playing energetically she gets a strained look in her eyes. She'll stop very briefly to rest more often. Her stops are so brief that if I weren't paying attention and looking specifically to see how she's doing I'd miss them. Sometimes she gets cranky and when I turn to focus on her I see that her breathing is a bit irregular.

Even at 3 my granddaughter was aware of attacks and would tell her teachers that she needed the inhaler. The teachers would then call me and I would take it to her. The teachers would say she wasn't wheezing but yet when I lay my ear on her chest I could hear it. It just wasn't obvious. Your friend's daughter can learn to do that.

It is my thought that her asthma is not actually well controlled. You don't tell the circumstances in this family. It is easy to be unaware because of the busyness of a household or because the adult just isn't attuned to watching and listening or doesn't know what to pick up on.

We've been told that every asthma attack, no matter how small, has a negative effect on the lungs. Most of the time the lungs recover but it's possible that hers haven't especially since she's had pneumonia several times.

I highly recommend that she take her daughter to a specialist. My granddaughter sees an allergist who specializes in pediatric asthma. For awhile she was not covered by insurance. Dr. Baker was able to enroll my granddaughter in a study for which her mother was paid. He also gives samples.

My daughter also learned that she could get one of the medications directly from the drug maker for a very low price or maybe even free. It is very important to take medication as prescribed. It's easy to forget when the child is not obviously having difficulty.

A few years ago I had pneumonia and only discovered it after several weeks of not being able to get over a cold and in general feeling run down. It is common to have pneumonia and not realize it.

When one has asthma it's extremely important to stay on top of lung health. My granddaughter's pediatrician always wants a follow up visit after any sort of concern with her respiratory health.

Also, we focus anytime my granddaughter has a cold because when she was younger a cold nearly always caused an asthma attack. She often still has difficulty with asthma when she has a cold but her mother is on top of it more quickly and is able to treat her soon enough that she doesn't have serious attacks as she did when she was younger.

IN summary: When a child has asthma her lungs are more susceptible to infection. And even when it's not noticeable she may still need asthma medication. I suggest that it's possible that your friend's daughter has not fully recovered from her previous infections and that her lungs are more susceptible than the average child's lungs.

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Pneumonia sometimes mutates and keeps coming back. Wash everything, light switches, crib, faucets, and etc in a germicide. Hexal is great. It can be ordered at a Pharmacy. Or use less water when dialoguing it. Do this a couple of times a week, for a couple of weeks and all should be better.

I'd go see Dr. Sara Hart, she's great & could find out what's going on. My son had symptoms like this & she found out it was an allergy & now he's doing great. Her number is ###-###-####

I had pneumonia a lot as a kid. And Bronchitis. Since i had them so frequently i got used to it. I think they were asthma based - any little cold could turn that way for me.

I think the best way to deal with this would be to work with an asthma specialist. It may be worth suggesting to your friend that she get a referral. Kids with chronic lung problems like that can really benefit from a controller medicine and monitoring. It is worth staying on top of the asthma for an improved quality of life and health overall.

Good news for you - pneumonia is often a secondary infection and not contagious the way a flu would be, so you probably don't have to worry about it aside from wanting the kid to be happy.

My son did the same thing. Once a person gets pheumonia, it's very easy for them to get again. He had it at a month old and like clock work every year after that till he was 4. He was also diagnosed with asthma. However, I STRONGLY advise having the childs ears checked by a specialist. My son had tubes put in his ears that allowed drainage that wasn't happening prior to this... his ears were full of bacteria filled goo. As soon as he had the surgery, a HUGE majority of the asthma symptoms and all of the pneumonia stopped. He's now 10 and hasn't had an asthma treatment (nor an ear infection or pneumonia) in years.
He is also a child that has to be near his death bed to be kept down... he will run around playing with a 102 degree fever, nose running, etc. Because of this, it's very hard to get doctors to take it seriously when I say he is sick.

Hi T.,

I myself had pneumonia when I was two a total of nine times in a row for the entire time I was two.

My mother got a referral from our doctor to have a chiropractor come to our house and I kid you not, after one treatment I was better within two days.

All the coughing could be affecting her lungs and ability to get better; at least that was my experience.

I truly hope she gets better.

Best regards

~S.

There are many articles out there that state 80% of children's asthma have a root cause of a food intolerance or allergy. There is a possibility that the little girl has a wheat or dairy allergy that is going undetected and causing the asthma and with the weakened immune system there comes the chronic pneumonia. Please have her checked for any and all food allergies and/or intolerances.

Good Luck!
T.

It is possible to have walking pneumonia. I had it and still ran a 1/2 marathon.
If this is her 3rd or 4th time, she probably needs to go to a pulmonologist to find out what the problem is and why she continues to get it.