What is bronchiolitis?

Causes and Symptoms

Bronchiolitis is caused by an infection that inflames and narrows the bronchioles, the smallest branches in the respiratory system, which carry air from the large bronchial tubes to microscopic air sacs in the lungs. The infection is most often viral, though it can also be bacterial or a combination of the two. It usually affects children under two, sometimes after a cold, and is contagious and may become epidemic. Symptoms include sudden breathing difficulty characterized by rapid, shallow breathing, wheezing, fever, dehydration, and retractions of the chest and abdomen. In severe cases, the skin or nails may turn blue.

Treatment and Therapy

The general treatment of bronchiolitis involves keeping the patient’s room as humid as possible with a cool-mist humidifier or by running cold or hot water in the shower with the windows and doors closed. In the case of bacterial infections, a doctor can prescribe antibiotics, and antiviral medications may be helpful in severe cases of viral infection. In addition, bronchodilators, drugs that widen the airways in the lungs, may prove helpful. The patient should frequently drink clear fluids, such as water, carbonated drinks, lemonade, weak bouillon, diluted fruit juice, or gelatin, to help thin mucus secretions and avoid dehydration. Diagnostic measures include parental observation of symptoms, physical examination by a doctor, laboratory blood studies, and x-rays of the lungs. With proper treatment, the disorder is typically curable within seven days.

Perspective and Prospects

Bronchiolitis is usually a disease of early infancy, with almost 90 percent of the patients being less than one year of age. It is important that bronchiolitis be diagnosed and treated properly because it can lead to chronic bronchitis, collapse of a small portion of a lung, repeated bouts of pneumonia, and, in some cases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Studies also indicate that infants who have two or more episodes of bronchiolitis prior to age two are more prone to developing allergies and asthma.

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