Bronchiolitis is inflammation of the bronchioles , the smallest air passages of the lungs. Yound children, particularly those between 3 months and 6 months of age, get this illness in the winter and the early spring. Bronchiolitis is almost always caused by a virus, most commonly the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Day-care attendance and exposure to cigarette smoke can also increase the likelihood that an infant will develop bronchiolitis. Conditions that increase the risk of severe infection include prematurity, prior chronic heart or lung disease, and a weakened immune system due to illness or medications. Children who have had bronchiolitis may be more likely to develop asthma later in life, but it's unclear whether bronchiolitis causes or triggers asthma, or whether children who eventually go on to develop asthma were simply more prone to developing bronchiolitis as infants. Although a child's bout of bronchiolitis may be scary, particularly for parents, signs and symptoms typically last for about a week and then go away. In the meantime, you can take a number of self-help measures to make your child more comfortable.

Bronchiolitis starts out with signs and symptoms similar to those of a common cold but then progresses to coughing and wheezing. However, in babies and toddlers whose bronchioles are smaller and easier to plug, these viruses often cause bronchiolitis when inhaled. The illness affects infants and young children most often because their small airways can become blocked more easily than those of older children or adults. Although it's often a mild illness, some infants are at risk for a more severe disease that requires hospitalization. Babies who attend day care are less likely to get bronchiolitis than those who stay home with a parent who smokes. RSV infections are responsible for more than half of all cases of the illness and are most widespread in the winter and early spring. Other viruses associated with bronchiolitis include influenza and adenovirus.

Causes of Bronchiolitis

The common Causes of Bronchiolitis :

Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Chlamydia pneumoniae.
Smoking:
Enterovirus
Rhinovirus
Influenza virus

Symptoms of Bronchiolitis

Some Symptoms of Bronchiolitis :

Intercostal retractions.
Fever (variable).
Cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing.
Nasal flaring in infants.
Rapid breathing (tachypnea).
Bluish skin due to lack of oxygen (cyanosis).

Treatment of Bronchiolitis

If a baby is very distressed, and having trouble feeding, he may need to be admitted to hospital where he can be closely observed, given oxygen and sometimes fluid through a drip (intravenous therapy).
Often the illness is mild, and does not need any special treatment.
Intravenous (IV) fluids if your child is unable to drink well .
Bronchodilating drugs are often used but efficacy not proven. If there is no clinical response after one treatment, use should be stopped.
Vaporisers, humidifiers, or using other ways to put steam into the air, have not been shown to be helpful for babies with bronchiolitis.
Bronchiolitis 'looks like' and 'sounds like' asthma, but the treatments that work for older children with asthma usually do not help with bronchiolitis.

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