Signs and Symptoms
Symptoms resemble those of moderate to severe cold symptoms such as a stuffy or runny nose, a croupy cough, fever, congestion and sore throat and usually appear between 4-6 days after contact with the virus. Children and adults with chronic lung diseases such as asthma experience rapid breathing, wheezing, productive cough and trouble breathing. In infants, symptoms also include lack of appetite due to excessive mucus, dehydration, sluggishness and fussiness. Both children and adults with compromised immune systems or congenital heart diseases run a higher risk for developing life-threatening conditions such as bronchiolitis.
The incubation time (from infection until symptoms arrive) is 4–5 days. For adults, HRSV produces mainly mild symptoms, often indistinguishable from common colds and minor illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control consider HRSV to be the "most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) and pneumonia in children under 1 year of age in the United States".[3] For some children, RSV can cause bronchiolitis, leading to severe respiratory illness requiring hospitalization and, rarely, causing death. This is more likely to occur in patients that are …show more content…
However, a conceptual algorithm with these variables may help in making a clinical decision (Figure
Symptoms resemble those of moderate to severe cold symptoms such as a stuffy or runny nose, a croupy cough, fever, congestion and sore throat and usually appear between 4-6 days after contact with the virus. Children and adults with chronic lung diseases such as asthma experience rapid breathing, wheezing, productive cough and trouble breathing. In infants, symptoms also include lack of appetite due to excessive mucus, dehydration, sluggishness and fussiness. Both children and adults with compromised immune systems or congenital heart diseases run a higher risk for developing life-threatening conditions such as bronchiolitis.
The incubation time (from infection until symptoms arrive) is 4–5 days. For adults, HRSV produces mainly mild symptoms, often indistinguishable from common colds and minor illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control consider HRSV to be the "most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) and pneumonia in children under 1 year of age in the United States".[3] For some children, RSV can cause bronchiolitis, leading to severe respiratory illness requiring hospitalization and, rarely, causing death. This is more likely to occur in patients that are …show more content…
However, a conceptual algorithm with these variables may help in making a clinical decision (Figure