There’s no shortage of headlines these days detailing the spread of Enterovirus D68, the respiratory illness that’s led to the hospitalization of hundreds of kids around the country.
Our area isn’t immune. In fact, the number of kids with viral symptoms treated recently on an inpatient basis at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center broke a record.
Kids with a history of asthma seem to be more at risk. According to Dr. Meghan Markovich, an internal medicine physician and pediatrician with St. Elizabeth Physicians, people with asthma are more susceptible to viral infections and allergies because they have a hyperactivity of cells in their lungs and extra inflammation that shouldn’t be there.
If your child has any of the following warning signs, you should consider calling your pediatrician to discuss the possibility it’s a precursor to asthma.
- Wheezing
Children who wheeze with a cold or other mild sickness are at an increased risk for developing asthma later. - Coughing during play or at night
Children who cough a lot when running or just can’t seem to keep up with other kids, or cough for no apparent reason at night (and are otherwise fine during the day) might be displaying the beginning symptoms of asthma. - Family history of eczema or seasonal allergies
A child with someone in his or her family with eczema or seasonal allergies is more likely to develop asthma than a child with no family history of eczema or seasonal allergies.
