The following symptoms and complaints may indicate pseudocroup:
- Acute onset of hoarseness (dysphonia), barking cough, and inspiratory stridor (whistling breathing sound on inspiration; predominantly at night).
- Occasional fever (<38.5°C).
- Usually only mild dyspnea (shortness of breath); transition to a severe course with pronounced dyspnea is possible
- Occasionally restlessness, anxiety
Pseudo-croup is usually preceded by a prodromal phase (precursor phase of disease) with nonspecific symptoms of viral infection of the upper respiratory tract (rhinitis (“SChnupfen”), pharyngitis (pharyngitis)).