Your 8-year-old daughter wakes you up in the middle of the night complaining of severe episode of cough. You bring the child to the emergency room and upon examination, the following is revealed: noisy breathing on inspiration, flaring of the nostrils and marked retractions of the chest wall. During the examination, the child suffers severe barking cough.
What would be the most likely diagnosis for this patient?
A- Bronchial Asthma
B- Bronchiolitis
C- Foreign body stuck in the main bronchus
D- Viral croup
The child is suffering from a viral croup. A barking cough is the most common symptom of a viral croup. A viral croup is also an infection of the upper respiratory tract, thus best-fitting the symptoms the child is having.
The correct answer is D