MN 553 Unit 6 Case Study-The Common Cold

Unit 6 Case Study-The Common Cold Based on the symptoms provided and the physical assessment of young Mr. Smith, I would diagnose him with the common cold, a viral infection of the nose and throat that occurs in many preschool children multiple times throughout the year and usually resolves within seven to ten days. His symptoms are benign—sneezing, mild cough, low grade temperature three days ago, slightly reddened throat and tympanic membrane—and all point to a cold, which is most often caused by a rhinovirus but could also be linked to respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, human parainfluenza viruses, adenovirus, human metapneumovirus, or common human coronaviruses (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2020). Although there are many other, more serious, viral or bacterial infections that could be plaguing the child, the mildness of his symptoms and the fact that he is alert, cooperative, in good spirits, and wellhydrated suggests that those other disease processes are not a factor. Influenza, which can lead to potentially severe com