How to Tell What Might Be Causing Your Child’s Symptoms
Many illnesses in young children share similar symptoms—like coughing, congestion, or fatigue—so it can be hard to know what’s really going on. This chart helps compare common conditions such as the flu, colds, RSV, COVID, asthma, allergies, and reflux. Here’s a high-level overview:
- Flu comes on suddenly, often with high fever, body aches, and fatigue. Coughing is dry and severe, and the activity level usually drops significantly.
- Colds are milder, with sneezing and a runny nose being most common. Cough and fatigue are usually mild.
- RSV and bronchiolitis both cause wet cough, wheezing, and fast breathing—especially in infants. Feeding issues and nasal flaring may be signs to watch for.
- COVID symptoms vary widely but may include loss of taste/smell, fatigue, and both wet or dry cough.
- Asthma shows up as episodes of coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness, often worse at night or after playing.
- Allergies and seasonal allergies usually don’t cause fever. They involve sneezing, itchy eyes, or skin rashes and often follow a predictable pattern with environmental triggers.
- Reflux can cause coughing (especially after eating), irritability, or arching the back in babies.
Things to Keep in Mind
- These conditions often overlap. For example, RSV can look a lot like bronchiolitis, and asthma symptoms may mimic allergies or a lingering cold.
- Some symptoms—like wheezing or difficulty breathing—can signal something more serious and should never be ignored.
Important: This chart is for general information only and should not be used to diagnose your child. Always talk to your pediatrician or healthcare provider if you’re concerned, especially if your child has trouble breathing, isn’t eating well, or seems unusually tired.
Understanding Your Child’s Breathing Illnesses as they Age
The chart below shows how different breathing problems—bronchiolitis, viral wheeze, and asthma—tend to show up at different ages in young children.
🔴 Bronchiolitis (red line): This is most common in infants under 12 months. It usually shows up quickly and then fades by age 2. Bronchiolitis is often caused by viruses like RSV and can lead to coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing.
🔵 Viral Wheeze (blue line): This tends to peak between 1 and 3 years of age. Children may wheeze when they have colds or viral infections. These episodes usually go away as kids grow older and their airways get bigger.
🟢 Asthma (green line): Asthma symptoms may start showing up as early as infancy but become more noticeable around 2 to 4 years old. Unlike viral wheeze or bronchiolitis, asthma tends to persist and may need ongoing care and monitoring.
What This Means for You
Not all wheezing is asthma, and not every cough is a reason to worry. Many children grow out of early wheezing illnesses as their lungs mature. If you’re unsure what your child is experiencing, your healthcare provider can help figure out whether it’s a one-time illness like bronchiolitis or something that needs more long-term management like asthma.
Could your child have asthma? Clinicians use the modified Asthma Predictive Index to estimate a child’s risk of developing asthma in the future. (Click here to go to the mAPI calculator)
