When colds turn into something more serious

Pediatric Otolaryngologist, Nina Shapiro, MD, shares advice for parents on how to tell if your child's cold has turned into something more serious that may need to be treated by a doctor
How To Tell If Your Child's Cold Has Become More Serious
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When colds turn into something more serious

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Colds are very common in children, young children, especially, can get up to ten colds a year. So if you think about that, they are getting a cold almost every month. If you have more than one child and they are not getting the cold at the same time, you are going to feel like you are always chasing a child with a cold. Colds are usually seen with a child who has a runny nose, stuffy nose, they may have a little bit of a cough, a low-grade fever -- by that, I mean, 100 degrees, 101 degrees -- usually lasts about three to four days and goes away on its own. The treatment might be a little medication like Tylenol or Motrin and, usually, that's about it. You should probably keep them home from school and any sort of playgroups. When it's more than a cold, this is a child who has high fever, a very deep cough, have green drainage from their nose, and it usually lasts more than three or four days.

Pediatric Otolaryngologist, Nina Shapiro, MD, shares advice for parents on how to tell if your child's cold has turned into something more serious that may need to be treated by a doctor

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Nina Shapiro, MD

Pediatric Otolaryngologist

Dr. Nina Shapiro is the Director of Pediatric Otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) and an Associate Professor of Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  As the first fellowship-trained pediatric otolaryngologist at the medical center since it was founded in 1955, her presence has put UCLA 'on the map' in her field.  

A graduate of Harvard Medical School and Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences, she also completed her residency training at Harvard.  She then went on to complete additional subspecialty training in pediatric otolaryngology at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, and The Children's Hospital of San Diego.

A native of New York, Shapiro has been honored with several prestigious awards, including the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology Award for Clinical Research, the UCLA Division of Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Teaching Award, and the American Academy of Pediatrics Young Investigators Award.  She has also been named "Super Doctor" by Los Angeles Magazine, and has been listed in "Who's Who in America".  

She has authored over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles, has edited a pediatric otolaryngology textbook, and is the author of the parenting book Take a Deep Breath: Clear the Air for the Health of Your Child, releaseded in January 2012. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children, and enjoys spending time with them more than anything else in the world.

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Transcription: 
Colds are very common in children, young children, especially, can get up to ten colds a year. So if you think about that, they are getting a cold almost every month. If you have more than one child and they are not getting the cold at the same time, you are going to feel like you are always chasing a child with a cold. Colds are usually seen with a child who has a runny nose, stuffy nose, they may have a little bit of a cough, a low-grade fever -- by that, I mean, 100 degrees, 101 degrees -- usually lasts about three to four days and goes away on its own. The treatment might be a little medication like Tylenol or Motrin and, usually, that's about it. You should probably keep them home from school and any sort of playgroups. When it's more than a cold, this is a child who has high fever, a very deep cough, have green drainage from their nose, and it usually lasts more than three or four days.