What are the signs and symptoms of bronchiolitis?

What are the signs and symptoms of bronchiolitis?

Signs and symptoms of bronchiolitis resemble those of colds and flu. They include:

• Runny nose.
• Slight fever (under 101 F).
• Cough.
• Rapid or shallow breathing.
• Wheezing. This might be the first time that your child has wheezing. In bronchiolitis, this follows 3 days or so of the first three symptoms.

Your child might show more severe signs, including:

• Making grunting noises.
• Having trouble sucking and swallowing, which makes feeding difficult on top of having a poor appetite.
• Trying so hard to breathe that their chest retracts (the skin is drawn down tightly against the rib cage and looks like it is going inward).
• Turning blue or gray in the lips, fingertips or toes.
• Being sluggish.

If you see that these things are happening, call your healthcare provider immediately or take your child to an emergency room. This is also true if your child is showing signs of dehydration, such as dry mouth, not urinating often and crying without producing tears. Dehydration is very serious in a young child.