respiratory health

Bronchiolitis in short

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Bronchiolitis	Acute inflammatory process, characterized by obturation of the bronchioles (last bronchial branches)
Bronchiolitis: target and incidence index	Typical early childhood illness (children up to 2 years) Most at risk category: infants up to 6 months of age 11-13% of patients: requires hospitalization Males are more at risk than females 150 million new cases of bronchiolitis every year
Bronchiolitis and colds	In adults, bronchiolitis is often misdiagnosed as a cold
Bronchiolitis: infection	Transmission by air, through saliva / nasal secretions of infected patients, or by means of micro-droplets of saliva that are dispersed in the environment as a result of sneezing or coughing
Bronchiolitis: incubation time of the bacterium	About 4 days
Bronchiolitis: etiology	Respiratory Syncytial Virus (Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV): especially Type B influenza virus Parainfluenza viruses of types 1, 2 and 3 Adenovirus type 1, 2 and 5: rhinovirus Mycoplasma pneumoniae Chlamydia
Bronchiolitis: risk factors	Cigarette smoke Crowded places Lung diseases Cardiac disorders Prematurity of delivery Artificial feeding Malnutrition
Bronchiolitis: symptoms	Emblematic symptoms: respiratory distress, wheezing, accentuated dyspnea, irritative and panting cough, tachycardia and irritability Onset symptoms: infection of the upper airways, frequent nasal secretion / burning and sneezing, loss of appetite and change in basal temperature Disease evolution: dyspnea and labored and accelerated breathing (tachypnea) Less frequent symptoms: cyanosis, intercostal retractions, insomnia, mood alteration, nausea and vomiting
Course of bronchiolitis	Bronchiolitis tends to regress in a few days. Acute phase of the disease: duration of about two days. Recovery of the patient's health: almost rapid
Bronchiolitis: complications	Rare complications Subjects of advanced age, suffering from chronic cardiopathies and bronchitis, and immuno-depressed are potentially at risk of complications (pneumonia)
Bronchiolitis: diagnosis	Clinical observation Auscultatory evidence of the chest: it also allows to verify a possible bronchiolar obstruction Chest X-ray: shows atelectatic densification, emphysematous hyperdiafania, thickening of the bronchial mucosa, increase in thoracic diameter and, sometimes, lowering of the diaphragm Oximetry: allows to observe the percentage of oxygen saturation in the blood Immunoenzymatic tests (ELISA) Indirect immunofluorescence test (IFA) Culture test Differential diagnosis of asthma, chronic pulmonary disease, pertussis and cystic fibrosis
Bronchiolitis: therapies	It is not possible to draw a standard therapy for bronchiolitis, as this depends on the severity of the patient's clinical profile: Rehydration of the patient Oxygenation of the patient Promote rest Patient hospitalization (when necessary) Bronchodilators Ribavirin: for bronchiolitis associated with congenital heart disease cystic fibrosis, chronic lung disease or hypertension Antibiotics: for bronchiolitis caused by severe bacterial infection Assisted ventilation in case of complications (anoxic seizures or cyanosis) Cortisonics and sedatives: strongly contraindicated
Prevention from bronchiolitis	There are no vaccines indicated for the prevention of bronchiolitis