Bronchiolitis
What is that?
Bronchiolitis is an "acute viral infection of the thinner lower respiratory tract, called bronchioles.
It can be caused by different viruses, but most of the time the culprit is the respiratory syncytial virus, the RSV. This virus causes inflammation of the mucous membranes, causing a narrowing or even obstruction of the respiratory tract.
The average evolution duration is about twelve days.
Symptoms
For a few days, the symptoms of bronchiolitis can be confused with those of a simple cold, runny nose, cough, and fever.
Then the baby begins to cough more and breathing becomes difficult and labored. It is hard to eat.
How do you take it?
In general, closed places with a lot of people (supermarkets, restaurants ...) are the privileged places to get bronchiolitis.
Even the nursery, especially for children under six months, is particularly favorable, as is the contact with very cold people.
See also
What can you do
Before consulting your doctor, you can limit the damage thanks to a few simple gestures:
- when your baby is cold, think about clearing his nasal passages, with a physiological solution or with a special device, or with a dry tissue rolled up, inserted in the nostrils and removed gently.
- be careful not to dress it too much and not to keep it in an environment that is too hot or too dry
- Hydrate it well
- continue to lay him on his back, but put a pillow under the mattress to make him stand taller
- be very careful not to expose it to cigarette smoke
When to see a doctor?
If your baby is under three months old, go to the doctor as soon as the first symptoms appear (fever, cough), especially if it is difficult to eat or breathe.
If possible, talk to your doctor before going to the emergency room. The child does not necessarily have bronchiolitis when he coughs, but risks catching it by waiting a long time among sick people.
In general, as soon as your baby begins to struggle to breathe, see a doctor.
The cure
Treatment is mainly osteopathic. By vigorously tapping the child's chest, the osteopath or physiotherapist allows the mucus to drain from the bronchioles to the larger bronchi. The child coughs a lot, spits, cries, but his condition improves considerably at the end of the session.
Medicines essentially act on symptoms by lowering the temperature if it is too high. In case of infection, the doctor can prescribe antibiotics.
In most cases, the baby will recover in 5 - 10 days and cough again for 2 - 3 weeks.
In some newborns (about 5% of cases), bronchiolitis can cause breathing pauses or apneas that require hospital surveillance, and perhaps even respiratory assistance for 2 - 7 days.
The consequences
This disease generally has no consequences on the health of the child, but bronchiolitis that are repeated or that require hospitalization, can cause the development of asthma on a favorable ground.
Some children may also have a breathing whistle that will disappear over time.
How to prevent
- avoid exposing your baby to smoke.
- wash your hands before caring for your baby, for at least 30 seconds if you are cold or come from a public place, especially if indoors.
- keep cold people away from your baby. Beware of kisses from brothers and sisters, especially on the face, if they have a cold.
- make sure that each child has personal accessories
- change the air in the house
- if your baby is less than two months old, avoid taking him to frequented places and indoors.
