Just this afternoon, i took my three years old child to the hospital for treatment of
cough and cattarh, the doctor on seat recommended that i should do an x-ray on her to determine the cause of cough, that cough is a reflex sickness, i refused, reason being that she is still young for that moreso now that her immune system is still in developmental stage,the
doctor got annoyed wit me oo, he then prescribed an antibiotic and a cough syrup without vitamin c after several argument, am i
wrong? what re the side effects of x-ray on toddlers pls.

I can imagine your concerns but I would not imagine x-rays have an adverse effects on a child's organs. Remember it's just an imaging device and the doctor probably wanted to be sure the child's chest was not blocked as that could be potentially dangerous.

Children as young as 2 have transcranial doppler scans without any side effects. Don't freak out just yet,its just a brain scan for children (to assess blood flow to the brain) with underlying medical condition and risk of stroke.
Now that was just an example of the many scans/x-rays a child could have, painless and with no side effects.

However, the doctor would have probably used his stethoscope to listen to the child 's chest(usually listened to from the front and back) and probably suggested the xray as an additional precaution probably because your little one was crying or wasn't still enough to allow him get an accurate listen with his stethoscope. Don't worry about him being angry, he is only doing his job, better to be safe than sorry you know.

X-rays have side effects but they are very minimal. Precautions for X-rays are usually taken when it's being performed on a woman who is or may be pregnant as it can have adverse effects on the developing embryo.

If the child is suffering from cough and catarrh, then the doctor may have wanted to check for pulmonary infections such as pneumonia or bronchitis. Cough and mucus buildup are symptoms of both ailments. A chest X-ray could've shown the mucus buildup in the lungs.

If it's truly a reflex cough like the doctor said, then I'd take your child back to the hospital ASAP before the condition worsens.

@ Ogugua88 & Esulaalu, thanks for your comments. Now, i am really scared, i had always thought that X-Rays shortens lifespan and wouldnt want that on my child. i have started d antibiotics recommended for her. dont you think i should watch her for nw, or should i go back immediately for the X-Ray?

lynnj: @ Ogugua88 & Esulaalu, thanks for your comments. Now, i am really scared, i had always thought that X-Rays shortens lifespan and wouldnt want that on my child. i have started d antibiotics recommended for her. dont you think i should watch her for nw, or should i go back immediately for the X-Ray?

Really? Interesting. The common side effects I've heard of are lightheadedness and nausea. I had an X-ray at the age of 9 when I fractured my arm. My cousins had them done at younger ages when they had pulmonary infections like your child. No long term damage with any of us. As long as the X-rays are infrequent, children should be fine.

Well, if it's a bacterial infection, then the antibiotics should start clearing it up. If there's no change in the next few days, then you should take her back.