title: Nutritional status, breastfeeding, and evolution of Infants with acute viral bronchiolitis.
abstract: Acute viral bronchiolitis is a common respiratory infectious disease of infancy. A prospective study was carried out with 175 infants aged up to six months to evaluate their nutritional and breastfeeding status as possible risk factors for unfavourable evolution of previously-healthy infants from a care hospital. Immunofluorescence test for virus and anthropometric assessment were performed. Outcomes were length of oxygen-use, length of hospital stay, and type of hospital unit needed. Seventy-three percent of the infants were well-nourished, 6% undernourished, 8.6% at a nutritional risk, 10.9% overweight, and 1.7% obese. Eighty-one percent of the undernourished and nutritionally at-risk infants and 72% of the well-nourished, overweight, and obese infants did not receive exclusive breastfeeding. The median length of hospital stay was four days and of oxygen-use was 60 hours. The nutritional status did not affect the clinical course of previously-healthy infants with acute viral brochiolitis. The duration of exclusive breastfeeding, but not type of breastfeeding, was inversely related to the length of oxygen-use and the length of hospital stay. Shorter exclusive breastfeeding was observed in infants who were assigned to a paediatric ward or to an intensive care unit. In conclusion, longer duration of breastfeeding was associated with better clinical outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Departament, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre/RS, Rua: Ramiro Barcelos, 2350, 90035903-Porto Alegre-RS, Brazil. cleal@hcpa.ufrgs.br
authors.forename: Cristina T L
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Dornelles
authors.forename: Jefferson P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Piva
authors.forename: Paulo J C
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Marostica
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001990:Bronchiolitis, Viral / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors