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Case Reports
. 2017 Mar 16;27(1):19.
doi: 10.1038/s41533-017-0020-3.

A young child with a history of wheeze

James Paton  1 , Patrick Bindels  2 , Ann McMurray  3 , Jodie Biggins  4 , Rebecca Nantanda  5 , Marianne Stubbe Østergaard  6
Affiliations
Case Reports

A young child with a history of wheeze

James Paton et al. NPJ Prim Care Respir Med. .

Abstract

The parents of a 3-year old boy are anxious about their son who has recurring episodes of wheezing. They are frustrated that no one seems to be able to give them answers to their questions and would like a referral to a specialist. Does their son have asthma and what is the prognosis; how can the recurrent wheezing be managed and can the risk of asthma be reduced; are there lifestyle changes that could improve the environment and avoid triggers? Communication and support from the family practice team were essential. Listening to the parents' concerns, explaining the diagnostic uncertainty, being realistic about what drug treatments could achieve, and providing practical advice on inhaler use and trigger avoidance reassured the parents that there was a strategy for managing their son's wheeze. The specialist referral was postponed.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Stepwise approach to pharmacotherapy in children under 5 years. Reproduced with permission from the GINA guidelines.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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