3 year old with bronchitis, how worrisome?

[Koxinga]

My wife is in her home town taking care of our daughter while I’m working. When I left the day before yesterday, our 3 year old girl was just starting to develop a cold; now I just called and found out that my wife took her to a doctor who said that the kid had developed bronchitis, and prescribed some kind of steroid to help her breathe more easily.

I’m not totally surprised, but as it’s winter here I’m wondering whether this could develop into something more serious like pneumonia–and how quickly and what to watch out for. Do you guys have any experience with this?

[Shayna]

I am not a doctor, but this reply to a question from a parent with a baby diagnosed with bronchitis, was posted by a doctor. I recommend reading the whole thing, but the conclusion should give you some comfort:

You don’t read a whole lot about bronchitis in children primarily because there isn’t much to talk about. It is caused by viruses we can’t treat, and the infections don’t cause significant problems except to keep parents awake due to their children coughing, and children recover by themselves. The viruses which cause bronchitis are the same ones that give children the stuffed-up runny nose and post-nasal drip. Therefore, there isn’t anything additional that needs to be done to prevent these infections that isn’t already being done to prevent getting the common cold, namely everyone carefully washing their hands.

http://parenting.ivillage.com/tp/tphealth/0,,3q7k,00.html

Another source:

Bronchitis | Ask Dr Sears

. . . Parents often come into the office so the doctor can check if their child has bronchitis because there is a misconception that bronchitis is a severe illness in kids and must be treated with antibiotics.

. . .

Treating bronchitis at home.
Here is what you can do at home to help clear the mucus out of your child’s chest, whether or not your child is taking antibiotics:

[ul]
[li]Steam – make your bathroom steamy by running a hot shower and closing the door. Sit in the steam 4 times daily for 20 minutes.[/li][li]Chest pounding – firmly pound on the chest, sides, and upper back for several minutes while steaming.[/li][li]Give expectorant medication (guaifenesin) three times daily. This makes the mucus runnier so your child can cough it up better.[/li][li]Don’t give cough suppressant medication during the day. Your child needs to cough the junk out of the chest.[/li][li]It’s ok to give cough suppressants at night if your child’s cough keeps him awake.[/li][li]Have your child sleep slightly upright if possible.[/li][/ul]

Hope your daughter feels better soon!

[Koxinga]

Thanks Shayna, that puts my mind at ease somewhat. It’s hard doing the summer bachelor thing (esp. in the winter) when the kid is sick.

Also, I’ve just learned I have a rival in her daddy affections. Apparently she thinks Prince Philip (from Sleeping Beauty) is more handsome than me.

[Shayna]

Awwww, she just needs to be reminded that all Princes are really frogs!

[MLS]

IANAD. Years ago I was told by our pediatrician that bronchitis, while it definitely needs to be watched, is usually not immediately dangerous. It’s an inflammation of the bronchii, which are the two large branches of the airways after the main windpipe. They are relatively wide. What’s dangerous is if the infection or inflammation spreads into the next set of branching airwaves, the bronchioles. These are narrower and can affect the ability to get air into the lungs. It will be obvious if there are difficulties lower down, as the person will become pale or even bluish from lack of sufficient oxygen. If the child’s under a doctors care she will probably be just fine in a few days.

[DrDeth]

Any smokers around her?

[overlyverbose]

It sounds as though your daughter’s symptoms are well controlled. My son has also been on steroids for bronchial problems - when he was younger, every time he got a cold, his lungs would fill with fluid. He has an inhaler, but once became so ill I had problems waking him and keeping him awake. His pediatrician prescribed a steroid to open up his lungs. It worked very quickly and was an incredible relief for both of us.

When he was on the steroid, his pediatrician also prescribed an antibiotic in case of secondary infection - she indicated that this sometimes happens in toddlers and babies who are using steroids. So I would definitely watch your daughter’s behavior in the next few days to a week. If it changes or she develops a fever, your wife should call the pediatrician. You might call the pediatrician and ask for more information on the possibility of secondary infection if you’re truly worried, but as long as she’s being cared for by your wife and under the treatment recommended by her doc, I wouldn’t worry.

Those steroids can be a godsend - I think it took just 4 hours and my son was breathing well. 24 hours later, he was back to his usual cheerful self.