What is bronchiolitis?
Acute bronchiolitis is an infection of the respiratory tract (the bronchi and bronchioles) caused by respiratory viruses.
Normally these viruses only cause colds, but in babies and infants, whose defenses are poorly developed, the virus progresses and also affects the lungs.
Is it a common disease?
Bronchiolitis is one of the most common childhood diseases that in many cases requires hospital admission. The frequency of admissions in children under two years of age in our country is between 1 and 3,5%, with the risk of admission being greater in the first year, between 4 and 6 times greater than in the second. In Spain each year between 12.000 and 14.000 children under one year of age are admitted with acute bronchiolitis.
The frequency of consultations for this cause in Primary Care is between 4 and 20%.
What symptoms does it produce?
The first symptoms in babies are similar to a cold:
- runny nose
- Cough
After 2-4 days appears:
- Difficulty breathing: they breathe faster, the skin between the ribs sinks.
- They stop eating well because they get tired when they are breast or bottle fed.
- Sometimes they have a fever, but not always.
What is the main cause of bronchiolitis?
The virus that causes bronchiolitis most frequently is the respiratory syncytial virus, also known by its acronym RSV. But, it can also be caused by the common cold virus (rhinovirus), and many other respiratory viruses (metapneumovirus, bocavirus, adenovirus, flu virus, parainfluenza, coronavirus, etc.).
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When it occurs?
Bronchiolitis appears more frequently during the fall and winter. Especially between October and January is when the greatest number of pediatric emergencies occurs, even leading to collapse.
In some cases, bronchiolitis is a mild condition that can be treated at home, with some general measures such as suctioning mucus from the nose, and splitting the food intake. However, on several occasions, babies and infants have to be admitted to the hospital, where they have to be given oxygen, and sometimes even need to be admitted to the ICU and receive help to breathe.
In addition, half of the babies who suffer from bronchiolitis will be left with their bronchi more sensitive to new respiratory viruses and will have recurrent bronchitis during the first years of life.
Who is affected?
Bronchiolitis mainly affects the youngest babies during the first year of life. Currently, there are more and more cases among children under 3 months of age, and it is even a fairly frequent pathology during the first month of life. These children have the weakest defenses and are more susceptible to the harmful effects of viruses.
For this reason, it is very important to carry out preventive measures to try to prevent babies, and especially the smallest ones, from catching respiratory viruses.
Preventive measures
Preventive measures to avoid the appearance of bronchiolitis and, in general, respiratory virus infections are important throughout the year, but especially in the autumn-winter months, especially from November to January, months in which the most important epidemics occur.
A frequent site of contagion for bronchiolitis is the nursery, so it is important to delay its onset as much as possible, especially in the autumn-winter months. Nowadays, however, it is often unavoidable that babies have to go to daycare for parents' work reasons, but you have to try not to take them if they have a cold because they will infect each other.
However, the smallest babies, less than 3 months old, do not go to day care and many of them suffer from bronchiolitis. For this reason, it is important to be extremely careful with them in property:
It must be remembered that babies have the least developed defenses, and, therefore, must be avoid visits from people (children or adults) that they have a coldespecially in the fall and winter months.
You also have to keep in mind that the little brothers who go to school or daycare can catch colds from respiratory viruses and can pass them on to babies. For this reason, it is important to avoid physical contact of the baby with sick people.
If the one who has a cold is the father or the mother, you should always wash your hands before picking up the baby or the use of a mask may even help.
If it is the father or the mother who has a cold, it is important to wash your hands frequently and to be extremely clean of the objects that are in contact with the baby.
Recommendations:
- Always wash your hands before picking up or touching the baby.
- Use disposable tissues and wash your hands after using and throwing them away.
- Wash objects touched by babies with soap and water, especially if someone with a cold has touched them.
- Cough away, covering your mouth with your forearm.
- Avoid smoking both inside the house and in the car. Tobacco makes the airways more sensitive to damage caused by viruses. Remember that tobacco particles remain in the environment for a long time.
All these measures must be applied both at home and in the nursery.
Other interesting recommendations are:
- Ventilate the rooms daily, especially if there are people with a cold or flu.
- Avoid crowds and crowded and closed places, especially at the time of year when pathologies are More frequently.
How is bronchiolitis spread?
Actually, it is spread in the same way as colds. Viruses are passed from a person who has a cold to babies by coughing, by coughing droplets, by kissing them, or by touching them with hands soiled by respiratory secretions. Viruses can remain on hands for more than half an hour. Also if people who have a cold touch their mouth or nose with their hands and then touch objects, such as a handkerchief, or children's toys, the virus can remain on those objects for several hours and then when touched by anyone and touching the baby can transmit the virus.
If you want to know more about Bronchiolitis or have questions about early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of this disease and other respiratory pathologies (children and adults), do not hesitate to contact us through our Online Patient Community. Through this space you will be able to meet other people who are in your same situation, in addition to contacting health professionals who will guide you in managing your disease:
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Medical endorsement:
Dr. Antonio Moreno Galdo, Head of the Pneumology, Allergology and Cystic Fibrosis Section of the Vall d'Hebron Hospital. Coordinator of the Pediatric Pneumology area of the SEPARATE.
