Bronchiolitis

The bronchioles of the lungs get infected, which in turn results in the inflammation of the bronchioles due to the building up of mucus. This condition which is usually found in babies as well as young children is known as bronchioloitis.

The premature babies with congenital heart or lung diseases and those who are born with very weak immune systems are subjected to this condition more than the normal babies.

Bronchioloitis occurs as a result of the virus named respiratory syncytial virus. It is an airborne disease and spreads directly through droplets that are emitted during sneezing and coughing. This condition usually develops in the winter season.

The infection cannot be treated using any medication. The symptoms of mild bronchiolitis are stuffy nose, mild fever, common cold and cough. The infections gets cleared own its own. If the children have difficulty in breathing, eating or drinking, they must be hospitalised. .

Symptoms

The symptoms of this condition look similar to those of common cold at the initial stages. They are:

• mild fever
• runny nose
• no interest in feeding

After two to three days, the following symptoms may also be seen:

• Shallow or rapid breathing
• Persistent and rasping dry cough
• Faster beating of the heart

The babies under twelve weeks must be taken to the doctor for further diagnosis to rule out the presence of any congenital diseases.

Take the child to the doctor if one of the following symptoms is seen:

• Severe difficulty in breathing
• The intake of feed in less than half of the normal feeds
• Absence of wet nappies for more than twelve hours
• High fever
• Vomitting
• Irritation
• Tiredness

Causes

Bronchiolitis is usually caused by the respiratory syncytial virus. The other viruses that can cause bronchiolitis include the influenza virus and the parainfluenza virus.

Even after the infection clears up, the children who had bronchiolitis have high risks of getting bronchiolitis again for up to three weeks.

Babies born with heart or lung diseases, babies who are born prematurely as well as babies who have a very weak immune system are subjected to the risk of incurring bronchiolitis more than the normal babies.

Babies who are not given mother’s milk are highly susceptible to bronchiolitis. Another major factor that can cause bronchiolitis in babies is the exposure to cigarette smoke.

Treatment

There is no specific treatment that can destroy the virus causing bronchiolitis. But treatment is usually administered to soothe the symptoms of bronchiolitis. Some of the self care techniques are;

Give the child plenty of fluids in the form of fruit juice or water to prevent dehydration in smaller quantities at regular intervals of time.
To relieve the throat pain and fever, the over the counter analgesic drug, paracetamol syrup, can be given. This will help the child to have proper food and take proper rest.
The use of saline nasal drops is advised to sooth the nasal congestion.
Bronchodilators that will help in proper breathing should be given only on the advice of the doctor.

Complications

Some of the complications that are related to bronchiolitis are:

• Difficulty in breathing
• Cyanosis
• Fatigue
• Dehydration
• Critical respiratory failures
• Pneumonia
• Developing of asthma, later in life.