Bronchiolitis alarm in children: why it comes, how to treat it and how to recognize it

Bronchiolitis, what is it and why does it affect babies, especially premature babies? It's dangerous? What are the symptoms to watch out for? And how to intervene?

Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerous

Bronchiolitis, what is it and why does it affect babies, especially premature babies? It's dangerous? What are the symptoms to watch out for? And how to intervene?

Bronchiolitis, when is it really dangerous? It appears mainly in autunno and winter and mostly in first six months of life. Bronchiolitis for babies and parents is a big deal, but with a little patience and the right treatment, that too passes!

It is a'infection of the "bronchioles", which are small passages in the lungs, and is usually caused by a viral infection. In practice, bronchiolitis is an acute viral infection that mainly affects the small airways of children under the age of two, especially if they are premature.

Index

Why does bronchiolitis come

Infection is mainly caused by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which is one of the most frequent causes of respiratory tract disorders during the first years of life that occurs in the cold months in temperate climates and in the rainy season, when temperatures get lower. However, bronchiolitis is secondary to a transmission that occurs first of all by direct contact with infected secretions and the contagion phase typically lasts from 6 to 10 days.

In any case, i main risk factors I'm:

exposure to cigarette smoke
age under 6 months
particularly crowded environments
no breastfeeding
family history of asthma
premature births (before 37 weeks of gestation)

Symptoms of Bronchiolitis

Bronchiolitis usually begins with i typical symptoms of a flu: low-grade fever and rhinitis are the main signs. Later one shows up cough more or less severe e breathing difficulties, characterized by an increase in respiratory rate and intercostal re-entry (i.e., difficulty in breathing visually manifests itself in the nostrils and ribs). Often everything resolves spontaneously, but in some cases the recovery, especially under six months of age.

In fact, in such young children there may be ahypoxemia (oxygen in the blood decreases) more severe and dehydration may be observed due to water loss due to respiratory effort. Furthermore, in babies born prematurely or younger than 6 weeks of age, the risk of apnea is even higher, so the cardio-respiratory parameters must be observed.

In any case it is good to go to the hospital if the child totally refuses food and to guarantee the baby adequate oxygenation of the blood (with the administration of humidified and heated oxygen) and adequate hydration (with glucosaline solutions administered intravenously).

How to cure bronchiolitis in children

Sometimes it is enough to relieve symptoms with a good washing of the nose, humidifying the rooms, administering oxygen and with a little health rest. No antibiotics, which are not effective against viral infections! Medicines used primarily at the hospital level include asthma medications and, possibly in addition, cortisone. In particularly severe children, the antivirals represent another option.

How to prevent bronchiolitis?

Most cases of bronchiolitis are not easily predicted, because the viruses that cause the disease are widespread in the environment. However, always remember to wash your hands, especially where there are children, and in addition always try to avoid contact of younger children with other children or adults with airway infections; choose breastfeeding and make them drink a lot; you do frequent nasal washings with physiological or hypertonic solution e never smoke indoors (in general close to them!).