Self Care Articles

Is this your child's symptom?

• Your child has been diagnosed with bronchiolitis
• It's an infection of the smallest airways in the lungs
• Caused by a virus called RSV (respiratory syncytial virus)
• Wheezing during the first 2 years of life is often caused by bronchiolitis
• You wonder if your child needs to be seen again

Symptoms of Bronchiolitis

• Wheezing is the main symptom that helps with diagnosis. Wheezing is a high-pitched purring or whistling sound.
• You can hear it best when your child is breathing out.
• Rapid breathing at a rate of over 40 breaths per minute.
• Tight breathing (having to work hard to push air out).
• Coughing (may cough up very sticky mucus).
• Fever and a runny nose often start before the breathing problems.
• The average age for getting bronchiolitis is 6 months (range: birth to 2 years).
• Symptoms are like asthma.
• About 30% of children with bronchiolitis later do develop asthma. This is more likely if they have close family members with asthma. Also likely if they have bronchiolitis more than 2 times.

Cause of Bronchiolitis

• A narrowing of the smallest airways in the lung (bronchioles) causes wheezing. This narrowing results from swelling caused by a virus.
• The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes most bronchiolitis. RSV occurs in epidemics almost every winter.
• People do not develop life-long immunity to the RSV virus. This means they can be infected many times.

Trouble Breathing: How to Tell

Trouble breathing is a reason to see a doctor right away. Respiratory distress is the medical name for trouble breathing. Here are symptoms to worry about:

• Struggling for each breath or short of breath.
• Tight breathing so that your child can barely speak or cry.
• Ribs are pulling in with each breath (called retractions).
• Breathing has become noisy (such as wheezes).
• Breathing is much faster than normal.
• Lips or face turn a blue color.

Diagnosis of Bronchiolitis

• A doctor can diagnose bronchiolitis by listening to the chest with a stethoscope.

Prevention of Spread to Others

• Cover the nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
• Wash hands often. After coughing or sneezing are important times.