Cough - should I take infant in to be sure it isn't RSV?
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Anonymous
| I have a six month old daughter who has had a cough for about a week now. A little bit of a runny/crusty nose but no fever. She seems maybe a little more irritable than usual and her sleep is off, but that might just be a general infant regression. With everything out there on RSV, should I take her somewhere to be tested or just assume it is a cold unless she gets worse? I don't want to miss anything but also don't want to be paranoid. I also have a five year old son but he never had this, so not sure what is best protocol. Thanks! |
Anonymous
| No. |
Anonymous
|
It's always ok to reach out to your pediatrician, and I don't want to provide medical advice but generally unless she is having trouble breathing I don't think there is a reason to take her in. Until recently they often didn't even test for RSV because it doesn't make a big difference in the treatment for routine respiratory things (if it escalates then they would test). So even if you went in, if the test came back positive for RSV, but her symptoms remained that she has a cough but is eating well, has no fever, sleep a little off, they will tell you exactly what they would tell you now - rest, time, tylenol/ibuprofen if fever comes and she seems uncomfortable). My son had RSV at 4 months and we did have a couple urgent care visits but it was because he was lethargic, breathing getting labored.
Definitely do not hesitate if you notice any impacts to breathing (very fast included, or wheezing), but if that is fine there isn't really anything else they can do. But if breathing gets impacted they may give a nebulizer. |
Anonymous
| Call the advice nurse and ask. |
Anonymous
+1 When I have called the nurse line in a similar situation, they have told me to watch out for high or sustained fever and trouble breathing, but it's always best to call you ped or insurance nurse line and specific recommendations from them. |
Anonymous
| Call the nurse first. You don’t want to expose baby to more germs at the pediatrician’s office. |
Anonymous
| What would you do differently if you knew it was RSV instead of some other virus? |
Anonymous
|
I'd call and see what the doctor says. I know that typically the AAP don't recommend it for kids over 6 weeks, but that might be different in the current environment.
One thing to remember is that it's very possible you kid has RSV and it looks like a cold. Most cases are minor and virtually every kid gets it before two. |
Anonymous
|
No way. Monitor and see if she gets worse.
You're likely to get whatever you don't have if you go to the doctor's this time of year- flu, covid, common cold. |
Anonymous
| Yes. How is this a question? |
Anonymous
| Call the pediatrician and ask them |
Anonymous
It's a question because treatment for RSV is generally the same as treatment for a cold,* and because taking your kid in for testing exposes them to other diseases and strains medical resources. It's actually very much a question, which is why most testing is not usually recommended by the AAP. *There is a prophylactic therapy for high risk kids. |
Anonymous
^ These are the people clogging up doctors offices, ERs and urgent cares. |
Anonymous
| I would call the nurse line as others suggested. |
Anonymous
What are you going to do differently if you know it is RSV instead of some other virus? |