Respiratory problems 2 years after acute bronchiolitis in infancy.
We assessed the clinical progress of 55 children 2 years after admission to hospital with acute bronchiolitis and performed lung function tests on 40. During the 2 year follow up period 75% of the children had wheezed, 36% had 2 or more lower respiratory symptoms lasting more than 2 weeks, 33% had more than 100 days of lower respiratory symptoms, and 13% were readmitted to hospital with acute respiratory disease. In addition 60% of the children were hyperinflated on lung function tests. Many of the children with hyperinflation at the 2 year assessment had not been hyperinflated 1 year earlier, suggesting variable airways obstruction. Reversibility of airways obstruction was also assessed by response to nebulised salbutamol. Nine children had a fall greater than 15% in airways resistance after salbutamol and these children had the highest baseline airways resistances. Airways resistance was higher in the children with a family history of atopy.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000403:Airway Resistance; D001990:Bronchiolitis, Viral / Q000150:complications*; D003371:Cough / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology; D008176:Lung Volume Measurements; D008297:Male; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000209:etiology; D012136:Respiratory Syncytial Viruses; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D010253:Respirovirus Infections / Q000150:complications