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Question of the Week

Undertreatment

Although we hear about kids being overtreated and overdiagnosed more, like for ADHD, undertreatment is also a big problem. This is especially true for chronic conditions like allergies and asthma.If you have a child with asthma and he is coughing every night and has an attack each week, and he is just using a bronchodilator, like albuterol, then he is being undertreated. He needs more aggressive treatment with an inhaled steroid to get his symptoms under control.

The Wrong Diagnosis

Lastly, you should also consider that your child was diagnosed with the wrong thing. If she has had a cough and runny nose for 2 months and 4 round of antibiotics haven't helped, then maybe it is just allergies.

This doesn't always mean that your Pediatrician made a mistake. Sometimes it can be difficult to sort out what is causing common symptoms and your doctor will just start treatment for the most common thing that causes those symptoms. If that doesn't work, then he or she might try something else.

What to Do

To help prevent many of the situations discusses in this article, it can help to ask your doctor what you should expect from your child's illness.

Ask questions like:

• When should he get better?
• What signs should I look for that may mean he is getting worse or has another more serious condition? And then what should I do?
• What is this medicine supposed to do? What are it's main side effects?
• When should I come back if he is not getting better?

And if your child continues to get worse or isn't getting better and you are not comfortable with what your Pediatrician is doing, then consider getting a second opinion from a specialist.