What is bronchiolitis?
Bronchiolitis is the most common acute respiratory infection in children under 1 year of age. It causes inflammation of the bronchioles, the smallest airways, which fill with secretions and prevent the child from exchanging gases properly.
It is usually caused by viruses, the most frequent being respiratory syncytial virus or RSV (70-80%).
What type of patients does it usually affect?
It mainly affects infants under 24 months of age, although the greatest severity and incidence is below 12 months of age and especially in children under 3-6 months.
What are the symptoms of bronchiolitis?
At the beginning the infection presents as a normal cold, but in 48-72 hours the virus is established in the bronchioles and it is at this point that the real disease begins. Infants with bronchiolitis may present fever, cough, vomiting, refusal of feeding and they breathe faster and with greater difficulty so that we can see them with wobbling in the stomach and the ribs or the upper part of the sternum being marked when breathing.
How is bronchiolitis treated?
As it is a virus, there is no curative treatment. The treatment is symptomatic:
- Remove mucus from the nose by washing with saline or saline solutions.
- Place the baby in a semi-incorporated position, elevating the headboard to help the baby breathe better.
- Offer plenty of water to avoid dehydration and help the mucus to be fluid and better eliminated. If breastfeeding, offer frequently.
- We will make the infant’s feedings more frequent, but of less duration and volume.
If, in spite of all this, the baby shows signs of respiratory distress, vomiting or refusal to feed, it is recommended that he/she be evaluated by a pediatrician. If hospitalization is necessary, the child will be treated with oxygen to the degree required and with fluid therapy to avoid dehydration.
It is very important to know and remember that the bronchiolitis virus is very contagious and that for us adults it generates banal cold symptoms, but not for our little ones. It is transmitted by aerosols or droplets that are generated by breathing, coughing, sneezing and touching surfaces or objects where the RSV can remain for hours. For all these reasons and just like the coronavirus in adults, prevention measures are the most important thing.
Remember:
- Wash your hands frequently
- Use disposable tissues
- Do not take children to day care while they are sick.
- Keep adults with respiratory infections away from the child, even if it is a mild cold.
- Avoid tobacco smoke and crowded environments.