pneumonia My son is running a fever and has a terrible cough. He is also having slight trouble catching his breath. He has asthma and the runny nose and cough and fever just started last night.should I go to the emergency room? Could it be pneumonia? Or an asthma attack?
Hi, thanks for using Chat Doctor Yes, you should take him to be seen as soon as possible. The fact that he is short of breath implies that the cold is causing an acute asthmatic attack. Acute asthmatic attacks occur commonly as a reaction to the common cold which is a viral infection. He would have a cough as a result to viral infection and also due to an acute asthmatic attack. He needs to be assessed. Furthermore, he may need to be nebulized and also may require a short course of steroids. I hope this helps