What are the common findings in a child with bronchiolitis?
Initially, bronchiolitis appears as an upper respiratory tract infection (i.e., a cold), with nasal stuffiness, a sore throat, and a slight cough. Fever, which is usually mild, but, occasionally, may be high, is frequent during these initial few days of the infection. Involvement of the lower respiratory tract usually appears two to three days later, and is characterized by the child developing a more prominent cough and the general signs of a worsening infection, such as irritability, decreased activity, and poor appetite. If the infection progresses further, the child may seem to have labored, fast, or wheezy breathing. The child may grunt with the effort of each breath, and the child’s chest muscles may retract between the ribs. Only the more severely ill children have labored breathing; most appear to have a bad cold with wheezy or croupy breathing. Whenever parents are concerned about a change in the sound, effort, or pattern of their child’s breathing, they should call their phys
