Suggest Treatment For Cough, Intermittent Fever And Swollen Glands In A Child

Posted on Sat, 28 Jan 2017

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 28 Jan 2017 Answered on

Mon, 20 Feb 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : six year old child with history of bothersome cough, trouble swallowing food and complains that some foods and medications taste funny. Swollen glands, aching in legs, on and off again fever 101-104. elevated monocytes and neutrophils. Neg. mono and strep tests. Doctors have give a couple different antibiotics with no luck. Any idea on your end

Answered by Dr. Diptanshu Das (29 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Likely to be due to a viral infection.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.

I have gone carefully through your query and understand your concerns. Your son possibly is suffering from a viral infection which is also responsible for the fever. Antibiotics are ineffective in viral infections and so giving antibiotics is not going to do any good. Due to the thickening of the mucus the mucus needs to be coughed out. It also affects the sense of smell which is closely related to the sense of taste. (Taste is actually a composite sense.)

You need to be patient. Irrespective of treatment it usually takes a week or so for resolution to occur. Steam inhalation is the mainstay of treatment.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Diptanshu Das (37 minutes later)

in the past two months she has been through two different antibiotics and recently a penicillin shot. Symptoms are ongoing for about 4 months and recently have gotten worse. I have uploaded her most recent urinalysis, we are still waiting for results from blood work. one doctor at E.R. said it was a lymphatic cyst but when she had to go back again because she would not take the meds because of taste the other doctor said it was just lymph nodes inflamed. she has not gotten any better.

Answered by Dr. Diptanshu Das (9 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Explanation provided.

Detailed Answer:
As I mentioned, antibiotics are ineffective in viral infections. The low WBC count in the report confirms the same. So, even if you try 15 different antibiotics, it would not really help. The lymph nodes can get inflamed in as the infection gets localized there. It will go away gradually after the infection subsides. You need not treat the infection. Rather, an allergic component plays a very essential role and Montair LC (montelukast + levocetirizine) syrup [prescription medicine] can be very effective.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar