<human>: hello doctor my 4year old son has cough problem fro 1 year and alway doctor give him normal medicin and salbuta mol now i pressure on doctor for blood test and now they noticed my son has asthma problem ,,and now few hour ago i noticed that my son has left rib cage swelling i am worried about it please suggest me.
<bot>: Hello, Thank you for asking at Chat Doctor.I went through your sons history and would like to make suggestions for your son as follows:1. First, I would like to mention here that childhood asthma is very different from adult asthma. Any blood test cannot diagnose or rule out asthma. Of course, blood tests can diagnose allergies, which may be one of the causes for asthma.2. Asthma is best diagnosed by spirometry with post-bronchodilator reversibility testing. However, usually child Chat Doctor.  Hence, diagnosis of asthma at 4 years of age remains more or less of a judgment of the doctor. Detailed history of all the symptoms since infancy as well as physical examination is required for proper diagnosis.3. Regarding left rib cage swelling, I would like to know its exact location, how it appeared, when appeared, whether painful, hard, soft, moving, etc. details.4. If it is painful, I would first rule out rib fracture as your child has cough for last one year. An opinion from orthopedic surgeon and an X-ray will be helpful.5. If it is not painful, there are many possibilities. Hence, I would suggest you to get him examined by his doctor and then decide further. Hope above suggestions will be helpful to you. Should you have any further query, please feel free to ask at Chat Doctor. Wish your child the best of the health ahead. Thank you & Regards.