Office Visit

It's a typical busy Monday morning in your clinic. As you enter the room, you see a worried mother who gives you the following history:

Kenyon Logan is a 4-year-old black male who presents with a history of congestion, runny nose, occasional cough and fever. The mother is concerned the cough is worsening and that the discharge from his nose, is mostly clear, although cloudy on occasion.

When asked about his ear Kenyon reports "my ear hurts, mommy." Upon further questioning, his mother reveals no other symtoms other than Kenyon was exposed to her boyfriend and maternal grandmother who both have similar symptoms.

The mother mentions the old fashions remedies previously suggested by her grandmother. She states " Applying Vicks to his chest was fine, but when she was thinking about using turpentine and kerosene, I said no. She made some nose drops with salt and water and a bulb syringe, and that seemed to help his congestion much better than the Triaminic yellow and Robitussin DM infants drops I bought. My grandmother still thinks his cold is my fault for having Kenyon outside in the cold air without a hat on his head."

As you continue your history, you obtain information that she has been giving him plenty of fluids.

There are no pets or smoking at home and he has been in good health and all immunizations are current and he has never had an ear infection. In concluding your history, you find that there is a positive family history of asthma in the maternal uncle and first cousin. K.L. has no wheezing per his mother. He has little exposure to ill children since his aunt baby-sits him. His cousins, with ages ranging from 3 to 7 years, are rarely ill.