| Bronchiolitis |
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- Bronchiolitis is a viral infection of the lungs. It is most commonly caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), but several other viruses can be responsible for the same disease.
- Bronchiolitis is most common in infants younger than 12 to 15 months of age.
- In older children and adults, infection with the viruses that cause bronchiolitis will usually cause an Upper Respiratory Infection (cold).
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- Congestion
- Cough, often worse at night
- Wheezing sounds on expiration
- Fever
- In severe cases:
- Grunting noises with expiration
- Retractions (drawing in of the tissues between the ribs with inspiration)
- Flaring of the nasal openings with inspiration
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- Laboratory examination of nasal secretions can identify the virus responsible for the disease, although this is not necessary in all cases.
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- Albuterol, given by metered-dose inhaler (MDI) or nebulizer
- Suctioning of secretions to remove them from the nose and airway
- In severe cases, hospitalization and oxygen supplementation may be needed.
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- Infants infected with RSV have a 50% chance of developing Asthma later in childhood. It is unknown at this time if the infection somehow causes Asthma , or if these children had underlying Asthma since birth and are more susceptible to infection with RSV.
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- Premature infants (those born more than 1 month early) can have very severe infections with RSV; these babies are given a monthly vaccination to prevent infection.
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