14th August 2020

A 13-year-old girl presents to A&E with shortness of breath and audible wheeze

A 13-year-old girl presents to A&E with shortness of breath and audible wheeze. She is unable to complete a sentence, and so her mother tells you that her symptoms came on suddenly an hour ago and prior to that, she had a cold for the last few days. She is known to the paediatrics department as she frequently attends clinic due to her poorly controlled asthma. On examination, she is afebrile with a generalised wheeze.

What is the most likely diagnosis?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.