Everyone Healthy Library
Bronchiolitis
Condition / disease reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
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Connected health information
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Condition overview
Attributes
Ageis Infant
Ageis Child
Linked signs and symptoms
9Each sign/symptom opens its own page and links back to related conditions.
Linked drugs / medications
0No linked drugs are listed yet.
Treatments, therapies and supportive options
3Grouped by treatment type. These are educational database links, not personal treatment recommendations. Evidence labels are shown only where stored in the EH database.
Medical therapy
1Linked diagnostic tests and investigations
6These are pulled from both EH diagnostic-test link tables, including the older large test-link table.
Biological markers/agents
5This visual map shows biological markers/agents reported as increased or decreased with this condition. These are educational relationships only; test results must be interpreted by a qualified clinician because ranges vary by lab, method, age, sex and clinical context.
Often increased
4- Alpha-1 Antintrypsin (AAT)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 90–215 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsAlpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) Concentration
- Alpha-1-Globulin (Blood, Serum)Reference range exampleAll: 0.1–0.3 gm/dLLinked diagnostic testsProtein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein)
- Alpha-2-Globulin (Blood, Serum)Reference range exampleAll: 0.6–1 gm/dLLinked diagnostic testsProtein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein)
- Beta GlobulinReference range exampleAll: 0.7–1.2 gm/dLLinked diagnostic testsProtein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein)
Often decreased
1Introduction / full article
Bronchiolitis
Bronchiolitis
Bronchiolitis is a common lung disease usually affecting infants less than six months of age. The disease is common during winter months. Symptoms of bronchiolitis typically last for one to two weeks and spontaneously resolve. If there is underlying health problem, bronchiolitis can become serious which might necessitate hospitalization.[1]
Epidemiology
Bronchiolitis is a common and sometimes severe disease. It usually affects children under the age of 2, with a peak age of 3 - 6 months. [2]
Causes
The illness is almost always caused by a viral infection. The Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) accounts for 75% of the cases. Other viruses that may cause bronchiolitis are parainfluenza virus, influenza (flu) virus, adenovirus and rhinovirus.[3]
When the virus enters the respiratory system, it travels to the bronchioles causing swelling and inflammation. Mucus consequently collects in the airways which hinders free flowing on air through the lungs. Since the infant's bronchioles are much narrower compared to that of adult's, they are more easily clogged hence greater difficulty of breathing is experienced.
Bronchiolitis is contagious as one contracts the virus through air droplets.[1] Risk factors for bronchiolitis include living in crowded areas, not being breastfed, age of less than 6 months and premature birth.[2]
Symptoms
Initially, the symptoms of bronchiolitis resemble that of a common cold thus patient has a runny nose and a slight fever for 2 to 3 days. For another 2-3 days, the patient then may begin to cough, breathe fast and wheeze.[4] Symptoms that may indicate difficulty of breathing are nasal flaring, muscles around the ribs sink in as the patient tries to breathe in and the skin turns bluish (cyanosis) as there is lack of oxygen. When there is cyanosis, emergency treatment is necessary.[2]
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is often done by getting medical history, assessing the symptoms, and conducting a physical exam.[5] Chest x-ray, blood gases and culture of nasal fluid may be done.[2]
Treatment
Often, no treatment is needed. Supportive therapy like rest and drinking plenty of fluids is advised. In severe cases, antiviral medications, oxygen therapy and intravenous fluids are given.[2]
References:
- http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bronchiolitis/DS00481
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001970/
- http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Bronchiolitis/Pages/Causes.aspx
- http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/diseases-conditions/bronchiolitis/symptoms.html
- http://www.webmd.com/lung/tc/bronchiolitis-topic-overview