About Kathleen MacNaughton Expertise As a registered nurse and health educator, as well as a person living with nasal allergies, eczema, allergic asthma, and eye allergies, I can answer questions related to allergy symptoms, triggers, diagnosis, and treatment.
Experience I have lived with severe nasal, eye, and skin allergies all of my life. I also have allergic asthma. In addition, I have been an RN for more than 30 years and have spent the last 10 years as a consumer health educator, both offline and online, specializing in the areas of allergies and asthma.
Publications About.com (asthma), HealthCentral.com (asthma and allergy networks), RhinocortAqua.com, EverydayKidz.com
Education/Credentials Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Syracuse University.
Question My 12 year old daughter has started having coughing spells that start in late evening and get worse when she goes to bed. We have tried Claritin 24hr. with no success. We usually end up giving her Robitussin CF and this seems to help. This is a dry tickely cough that produces no phlegm. We run a humidifier in her room every night. When she was younger she would have bad boughts of bronchitis every time she had a cold. She has been seen by and allergist quite a while back but seemed to be doing fine until this cough started. Do you have any recommendations as to what we could give her so she can rest better and should she see the allergist again to determine the cause of this latest episode. We have no animals at all so we know it's not animal related. Maybe Pollen! We live in Georgia so I'm sure there are things blooming that could cause this. Looking forward to your answer and thank you in advance for your help.
Sincerely,
Danny B.
Answer Hi Danny,
I can't diagnose your daughter, but I can tell you that a chronic cough, especially at night, is one of the hallmark symptoms of asthma in children. So, I would encourage you to take her to a doctor for an evaluation.
Also, it's ragweed season, especially in the south, which could be a factor at present. Outdoor mold levels are also high this time of year.
Asthma, if it is asthma, can only be treated with prescription medicines, so getting care from a physician is essential. And getting asthma under control is also critical, as out of control asthma can have serious consequences.
