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Is It Normal For A Cold - Or Upper Respiratory

Posted on Tue, 23 Jul 2019

Question: Is it normal for a cold - or upper respiratory infection - to cause a change in a child's stool? My 22 month old has had a cold (couging, sneezing, runny nose, etc.) since about Tuesday, and I've noticed that her stool has been looser and smellier than normal and was just wondering if her cold was causing the changes.

Answered by Dr. Sumanth Amperayani (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Is she on any antibiotic please?

Detailed Answer:
Hello...if cough and cold are due to a virus which can cause diarrhoea then this is a possibility. But the other possibility is that it could be an antibiotic associated diarrhoea if she is on any antibiotic for the upper respiratory illness.
Best regards - Dr Sumanth Amperayani

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Kampana

Follow up: Dr. Sumanth Amperayani (44 hours later)

No antibiotics. We were told to give her Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen at first because she had a fever when the cold first started; the doctor never gave us any prescriptions for cold medicine, but we were giving her Similasan Cold and Mucus Relief once her fever broke to help control her cough and runny nose. We stopped giving her the meds over the weekend because the cold is pretty much gone now, and so far her stools are back to normal...

Answered by Dr. Sumanth Amperayani (19 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Looks like a viral illness

Detailed Answer:
Looks like a viral illness from which she's already recovering.
Multiple system involvement like this is common in viral illness.
Keep her well hydrated please.
Best regards - Dr Sumanth Amperayani

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T