This post is also available in: Svenska

How often can a child be sick without anything being wrong? Are recurrent fevers and infections signs of a poor immune system? You’re not alone, we’re all thinking about it. From winter until February/March children in preschool can be sick 10-12 times since the end of summer. No one remembers the last time they had a full working week.

Let’s go over how we characterize ‘a poor immune system’, and what you can do if your child has a constant cold.

The type of infection, not the number of infections,

determines what is normal

Many colds, gastroenteritis and occasional ear infection is… NORMAL

When I’m presented with a constantly sick child, my first question is – what kind of infections has your child had? Almost all children with recurrent fever have mostly had colds that have subsided in a few weeks, and with coughing for up to three weeks after each cold, that is, until the next cold begins… In addition, they have had some gastroenteritis and the occasional ear infection (otitis) or tonsillitis that required antibiotics. This is an indication of a healthy immune system.

More than 6 ear infections that have required antibiotic treatments in a year … CAUTION

Some children with recurrent fever get ear infections after virtually every cold. It is not, in itself, a sign of a poor immune function. If your child has had more than three ear infections in the last six months, make an appointment with an ear doctor for examination. It may be due to a gland behind the nose (adenoid) or the narrow size of the eustachian tubes that prevent the fluid from the middle ear flowing into the pharynx. If the adenoid is too large, the ear doctor can remove it. Otherwise, the ear doctor can insert tubes into the eardrum to reduce the occurrence of ear infections and allow drainage. That way it can be treated with antibiotic drops locally in the ear instead of antibiotics via mouth.

If your child still continues to have stubborn ear infections, their doctor may have to take basic tests to investigate their immune system. Often the drainage solves the issue, but sometimes you find a slight immunodeficiency in these children.

Difficulty breathing and coughing terribly for months after every cold

Children who have difficulty breathing with a cold, and often cough for months after each cold, are likely to have asthma. There is solid treatment and prevention against asthma. The treatment goal is to reduce the number of hospital admissions for colds. Treatment is appropriately carried out by a pediatrician in a pediatrician’s office or medical center.

Infants who do not grow and have repeated & severe fungal infections in the mouth and on the buttocks

Infants who do not grow and have repeated severe fungal infections in the mouth and on the bum, or never get rid of a cold, may have poor immune systems, or in other words immunodeficiency. If you think this is the case for your child, seek a pediatrician and ask for an assessment. These are very rare diseases. In Sweden, only a few children per year have this, so most pediatricians have to ask a more specialized colleague in order to make this assessment correctly.

Pneumonia more than 2 times in a year

If your child gets repeated pneumonia that need antibiotic treatment, ensure your child is x-rayed every time. Then ask the doctor if the pneumonia infection is in the same place in the lung. If it is, you should check if there is something in the lung that should not be there. In children, it is usually pieces of food or lego that have sat in the throat and then somehow gotten into the lung. In half of these cases, the parents cannot recall that there was something in the child’s throat.

If the pneumonia infection sits in different places, it may also be appropriate to take basic samples to test for a poor immune system.

Repeated large, intractable abscesses

Some forms of rare serious immunodeficiency disorders appear as repeated intractable abscesses. This can occur on the skin, sometimes in the liver, kidney, lung or brain. If your child has had such severe illnesses, the pediatrician should have investigated for immunodeficiency. If they haven’t, ask for it!

In summary:

There is no need to worry about the countless colds your child seems to be experiencing. Recurrent fever itself, repeated colds or gastroenteritis are not due to a weak immune system. However, if your child gets repeated bacterial infections that require antibiotic treatment, or repeated intractable fungal infections, it may indicate an immunodeficiency that needs to be investigated and perhaps treated.

How a baby’s immune system works

Sore throat and a cold in children

How do vaccines work? Vaccines strengthen the immune system, but how?

Gastroenteritis, winter vomiting or stomach flu – infection, symptoms, incubation period

Intrinsic asthma in children – Symptoms and Treatments

Streptococcus in childhood tonsillitis, perianal strep and scarlet fever