BRONCHIOLITIS

12/02/2020

WHAT IS BRONCHIOLITIS?

Bronchiolitis is a common illness that inflames the entire respiratory tract and causes it to fill with mucus. This can make it more difficult for your child to breathe. It usually occurs in fall and winter and is caused by a variety of virus including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza and Adenovirus. Bronchiolitis most severely affects children under 2 years of age.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

•Cough

•Stuff or runny nose

•Low fever

Bronchiolitis often mimics a cold for the first 2-3 days but become more severe. Other symptoms include:

•Very fast breathing, effort to breathe. In the very young children, bronchiolitis may cause them to have brief pauses in their breathing.

•Noisy breathing (wheezing)

•Poor feeding. Children may vomit after feeding and become irritable.

•Fever

SOME OTHER CONDITIONS THAT COULD AFFECT YOUR CHILD’S ABILITY TO COPE:

•Premature baby

•Less than 6 weeks old

•Have lung problem or heart problem

•A problem with your child’s immune system

•Or ANY other pre-existing medical condition that may affect your child’s ability to cope with this illness

If there is ANY one of following factor, please contact your Doctor.

WHAT DO I DO IF MY CHILD HAS BRONCHIOLITIS?

Most children with bronchiolitis get better over time, but some children can get worse. You need to regularly check your child and follow the advice below:

HOW BRONCHIOLITIS IS TREATED?

Most children get better on their own. Some children, especially very young ones, can have difficulty with breathing or feeding and may need to go to hospital.

•At home, if your child is distressed or you feel they are in discomfort, paracetamol or Ibuprofen to help them feel more comfortable. If your child is not feeding as normal, offer smaller feeds more frequently. Saline drops can help with congestion and runny nose.

•Bronchiolitis is caused by a virus so antibiotics will not help.

•Need to regularly check your child and follow the advice above.

HOW LONG DOES BRONCHIOLITIS LAST?

Most children with bronchiolitis will seem to worsen during the first 1-3 days of the illness before beginning to improve over the next 2 weeks.

•The cough may go on for a few more weeks.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

•Make sure your child is never exposed to tobacco smoke. Passive smoking can seriously damage your child’s health.

•Make sure your children drinks sips of clear liquids many times throughout the day.

•Coughing may last up to 4 weeks

•Bronchiolitis is easily passed between people. When caring for your child, wash your hands often and separate the sick child from other children in your home.

VACCINES AND MEDICATIONS

•There are no vaccines for the most common causes of bronchiolitis (RSV and rhinovirus). However, an annual flu shot is recommended for everyone older than 6 months.

•Infants at high risk of the RSV infection (very prematurely or with a heart-lung condition or a depressed immune system), may be given the medication palivizumab to decrease the likelihood of RSV infections.

bởi Super Admin
Danh mục: News & Events