3 year old coughing an hour aftr going to bed for 4 hours and then eventually stops is this a cold?

Hi

My question

Is it just a cold when your child goes to bed and after an hour starts coughing, they cough for 4 hours and eventually they stop, in that time I hav given the blue inhaller but it doesnt stop them coughing. I have put them in a steam room that doesnt stop them coughing, they were diagnosed with asthma and they are on seretide BUT is this just a virus or is this an asthma attack?, no wheeze just a raspy sound wet in thier chest when they breath full off congestion????, what are your thoughts

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Hi, I have often asked the same question with my 3 yr old son but after 3 admissions in the last year I have learnt to tell when it is his asthma by looking for the following things:

Is he breathing rapidly?

Is he recessing-sucking in at his ribs and or in his throat when breathing?

Are his shoulders rising or head bobbing when he is breathing in between coughing?

Is his heart rate up even before taking his inhaler?

When my 3 yr old has a cough that is turning into an asthma attack, some or all of these things will happen, and you can see his body 'working hard' even when he is asleep in between coughing fits. On the other hand, when my 5 year old son, who does not have asthma, has a cough and a cold he does none of the above, just simply coughs, and although he finds it annoying and will get an irritated throat as a result, it never causes him to breath rapidly or suck in at his ribs and he will breathe normally in between coughing episodes.

I hope this helps and that your child gets well soon.

Rebecca

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Thank you, I will look for those signs in future. Thank you for replying it helps x

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hi, just a thought for you, is it allergies? i was coughing non stop and was worse when i went to bed, allergy tests show im allergic to dust, cuddly toys etc collect dust, fine particles may be causing the problem, my dr put me on montelukast which probs wont be ok for your child but worth thinking if its allergy related x