RSV commonly presents with which initial symptoms?

• A. Cold-like symptoms
• B. High fever with rash
• C. Chest pain
• D. Digestive upset

Answer: (A)

RSV commonly starts with upper airway symptoms that feel like a cold. The typical picture is nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and a cough, sometimes with a mild fever. This reflects the virus’s effect on the nasal and upper airway mucosa and is usually the first clue in infants and young children. The other options point to different illness patterns: a high fever with a rash suggests a viral exanthem such as measles or rubella; chest pain isn’t an early feature of RSV and would raise concern for other cardiac or pulmonary issues; digestive upset isn’t the hallmark initial presentation of RSV, though GI symptoms can occur with various infections.