Bronchiolitis is a viral infection of the small airways (bronchioles) of the lower respiratory tract that affects children under two years. The main cause is the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), which normally causes cold symptoms. Infection is spread by direct contact with respiratory secretions.
Bronchiolitis normally occurs in epidemics that start in November and peak in January. It is one of the commonest causes of hospital admissions among babies, with 20,000 children under one being admitted to hospital with the infection every year. In very rare instances it can cause death.
Symptoms
The child will probably have a runny nose and slight fever for two to three days. Instead of getting better, though, the child then may begin to cough, breathe fast, and wheeze (make a high-pitched whistling sound when breathing) for another two to three days. The doctor should be consulted if:
* the child is vomiting and can't keep liquids down;
* the child is breathing very fast;
* the child's skin turns a bluish colour especially around the lips;
* the child's breathing becomes obviously laboured;
* the child was born prematurely or has had heart problems. A doctor should be called at the first signs of illness.
Treatment
Because it is caused by a virus, bronchiolitis does not respond to antibiotics, though it can sometimes progress to pneumonia, in which case antibiotics are needed. Paracetamol will help reduce fever. Do not give the child aspirin, as aspirin has been associated with Reye's syndrome, a rare disease of the brain and liver. Try to encourage the child to drink fluids, but sometimes the child may become dehydrated and need extra fluids through an intravenous drip, and sometimes oxygen is needed. In severe cases the child may need to be ventilated.
Parents can help prevent this disease spreading by keeping the child at home until the cough has gone. Hands should always be washed after touching an infected child to avoid spreading the virus to others.