As cases of respiratory viruses are expected to pick up in the coming weeks, parents are recommended to closely monitor their child鈥檚 symptoms and know when they warrant immediate care, according to a D.C. doctor who works in a local emergency department.
The fall season marks the beginning of a 鈥渉eavy respiratory season,鈥� during which doctors see a significant increase in asthma in babies and younger kids, says Dr. Jennifer Chapman, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Children鈥檚 National Hospital.
They also see a lot of chest congestion and wheezing, which doctors call bronchiolitis.
When parents are considering whether to take a sick child to the emergency room, calling a pediatrician, or the nurse advice line during off hours, is an essential first step, Chapman said.
Difficulty breathing could mean it鈥檚 time to consider emergency care, and Chapman recommended raising a child鈥檚 shirt to determine whether their ribs are outlined when they breathe. That, she said, is an indication of difficulty breathing.
Young babies and children won鈥檛 be able to drink effectively if they鈥檙e experiencing that trouble, Chapman said, 鈥渂ecause it鈥檚 hard to breathe heavily and drink simultaneously.鈥�
鈥淎 combination of rapid breathing, poor intake of fluids would be reasons to reach out to your pediatrician, and if there’s any concern, to go to the emergency department,鈥� Chapman said.
Parents of kids with asthma have an extra symptom to watch out for. If a parent is reaching for albuterol inhalers 鈥� which are supposed to help open air passages 鈥� more often than every four hours because of excessive coughing or difficulty breathing, 鈥渢hen certainly, that’s a child who needs to be seen promptly, whether in the (doctor’s) office or in the emergency department,鈥� Chapman said.
In most cases, babies and young children are most vulnerable to respiratory viruses, which start in the nose and move down into the chest. That can cause wheezing and chest congestion.
鈥淭he younger the child and the baby, the more vulnerable they are to these respiratory infections, and that’s the group that deserves closer watching by either your pediatrician or coming to the emergency department,鈥� Chapman said.
Currently, 鈥渨e鈥檙e on the cusp of RSV season,鈥� Chapman said, and flu season starts a bit later. COVID waves are harder to predict, she said.
It鈥檚 normal for healthy kids to be sick between six, eight or 10 times a year, Chapman said, and parents with concerns should contact a doctor.
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