An anxious mother brings her 4 year old son to the ER after he developed a bad cough that afternoon. On further questioning the mother and child were at a birthday party for one of the child’s friends. On examination child is using accessory respiratory muscles and an audible sound is heard on inpiration.
What is your Diagnosis?
- Viral URTI
- Asthma
- Foreign body inhalation
- Pneumonia
Answer
Right option is 3
Explanation
The acute nature, age of child, history of party (eating small foods) and sound on inhalation all of these point to Foreign body inhalation. Right main bronchus is the path of least resistance for foreign bodies due to it being a straighter branch of trachea A viral URTi is unlikely to be present with audible inspiratory sound and would present over a long time. Similarly Pneumonia also takes days to develop and present with more infective symptoms like fever, sputum etc.
