Bronchiolitis in children: symptoms and treatment

Bronchiolitis in children occurs as a result of complications of diseases such as ARVI or influenza. This disease is most likely to affect children up to a year. The peak of infection is from the second to the sixth months. The reason is quite simple - the immune system is not strong enough to withstand all the viruses. Getting into the body, the infection gets into the bronchioles.

First alarming signs

If there is bronchiolitis in children, symptoms can be found such:

• Spasmodic cough, in some cases it is dry;
• Body temperature does not increase much;
• Whistling sounds appear during breathing;
• There is a runny nose or a spout, on the contrary, is laid.

The disease develops quickly, and if nothing is done during this time, a complication in the form of respiratory failure may occur .

How to identify the disease?

Suspicions of bronchiolitis in young children can be confirmed in such a simple way. To attach the ear to the back of the baby, and if there are gurgling sounds, this, most likely, means that the diagnosis is confirmed. It is worth noting that this does not necessarily mean the presence of frequent attacks of cough and fever.

Acute bronchiolitis: symptoms

In case of a cold, does not the treatment give a positive result for a long time? Perhaps it manifests acute bronchiolitis in children. His symptoms are:

• Decreases appetite or even disappears;
• Skin covers turn pale, and in some places cyanosis appears;
• When refusing to eat water and food, dehydration may occur, the symptoms of which are the following: decreased urination, dryness in the oral cavity, during crying there are no tears, the pulse is accelerating;
• The child is more capricious, irritable, does not sleep well;
• Body temperature increased, but not much;
• Presence of dry cough, sometimes with a small amount of sputum;
• Possible the presence of shortness of breath - sounds arise groaning and groaning, the wings of the nose swell, the chest is retracted slightly stronger, pronounced dyspnea;
• In more difficult cases, it is possible to stop breathing;
• With complications, breathing occurs more than 70 times per minute;
• After the examination, the doctor can diagnose clear wet rales;
• After the blood test, the norm of ESR and leukocytes is lowered.

It is important not to be mistaken!

Bronchiolitis in children is characterized by respiratory failure, which, if severe, can lead to suffocation. In this case, medical help is urgently needed, but necessarily qualified, as sometimes there are cases that this disease is confused with asthmatic bronchitis or pneumonia with obstructive syndrome.

Conditions for a small patient

While the doctor has not yet come, it is necessary to create all the conditions, so as not to aggravate the grave condition of the baby. For this, two basic rules must be adhered to:

1. The air in the room should not be hot and dry, as this provokes the drying of mucous membranes and a strong sweating, which is fraught with a rapid loss of moisture by the body. The temperature should not be above 20 degrees, and humidity - from 50 to 70 percent.
2. You should provide the child with a lot of fluids. Newborns are often brought to the breast, and older ones give those drinks that they can drink. This must be done in order to prevent dehydration of the child's body.

It is forbidden to perform these actions

In such cases, it is strictly forbidden to take such methods of care at home:

• Conduct any physiotherapy in the chest area;
• Do hot inhalation;
• Apply any pharmaceutical preparations without medical purpose.

Obliterating bronchiolitis: symptoms

What can happen when the acute form of the disease is triggered? You can observe obliterating bronchiolitis in children. This means that bronchioles and small bronchi narrow, after which there is a violation of pulmonary blood flow. After some time, the pathological processes of the lungs and pulmonary-cardiac failure may begin to develop.

The following symptoms will help to recognize the ailment:

• The emergence of dry non-productive cough, which is accompanied by a small amount of sputum;
• Dyspnea is observed not only after physical exertion, but also (with progressing disease) in a state of calm;
• You can distinguish wheezing wet, breathing as if whistling.

Such signs can be observed for a long time - even more than six months.

Bronchiolitis in children, especially small children, is very widespread. It goes on par with pneumonia, which is also one of the complications after ARI. Grudnichkov with this diagnosis immediately sent to hospitalization. But with premature babies, as well as those children who have congenital heart and bronchopulmonary malformations, which is fraught with dehydration and hypoxia, it is more difficult. In some cases, it ends with a lethal outcome.

Methods of treatment

When bronchiolitis is observed, treatment in children may take more than a month. Several methods are used for this:

1. Rehydration therapy, which means the replenishment of the child's body with glucose and saline solutions. You can do this either intravenously or orally. It is carried out in those cases when emergency care is needed.
2. Conduct emergency measures when respiratory failure occurs. In this case, use an acid mask, and inhalation with drugs, whose actions contribute to the removal of the attack of suffocation.
3. Antiviral drugs are used, because the disease occurs viral. The basis of drugs, in most cases, is interferon.

Preparations

When this disease is accompanied by bacterial infections, which include pneumococcal or streptococcal, antibiotics are prescribed, mainly the following:

• "Amoxiclav."
• "Macropean".
• "Sumamed".
• "Augmentin".
• "Amosin" and many others.

To remove the swelling of the bronchi and facilitate breathing, antihistamines are prescribed.

Chronic bronchiolitis

The disease itself develops very quickly. Although his symptoms may be present for less than five months. As a result, there will be either complete recovery, or it will develop into chronic bronchiolitis in children. It is divided into several forms of inflammatory processes:

• Panbronchiolitis;
• Follicular;
• respiratory.

Inflammations can also be of the following types:

• Constrictive;
• Proliferative.

Constrictive (or narrowing) is characterized by the fact that gradually the fibrous tissue grows between the muscle and epithelium layers and bronchioles. After a while, the lumen not only narrows, but also completely closes. Respiratory structures are no longer so supple, and this is fraught with emphysema, as well as a violation of breathing.

Proliferative are characterized by the damage to the mucous membrane, and granulomatous and connective tissues - Masson's bodies appear. The respiratory department significantly reduces its diffusivity, and external respiration is impaired.

Treatment of a chronic disease

Chronic obliterating bronchiolitis in children is treated with two methods:

• Drug therapy;
• Subsidiary.

In the first version, mucolytic, bronchodilator or expectorant preparations may be prescribed. If there is inflammation of a bacterial nature, then plus to all this - also antibiotics.

To auxiliary therapy include massage in the chest, respiratory gymnastics, exercise therapy, climatotherapy, speleotherapy and physiotherapy.

Effects

If bronchiolitis was observed in young children, the consequences can be very diverse (this is when there was no timely treatment). Now we will look at them

1. Pneumonia. It affects the tissues in the respiratory system, resulting in a violent cough. Such a disease, if it occurs in a neglected form, may be accompanied by a slightly high fever. Complications with breathing are often observed. If in this case do not undergo antibiotic treatment, then this is fraught with even more harmful complications.
2. Bronchiectasis. This process is characterized by the fact that it expands and further damages the walls of the bronchi.
3. Heart and respiratory failure. In connection with the disease, gas exchange is disrupted, and many of the internal organs do not receive sufficient oxygen. This primarily affects the heart muscles. As a result, this body is overworked, and the blood no longer circulates in the volume necessary for the body. And this, in turn, disrupts the working capacity of other organs and systems of the child's organism.
4. Bronchitis in chronic form. If it is not treated, the consequences can be severe. In this case, an important role is played by such harmful factors as dust, gases and various allergens.
5. Bronchial asthma, which passes from the advanced stage of bronchitis allergic. The disease is characterized by swelling of the mucous membrane and periodic spam. This consequence of bronchiolitis is dangerous in that there are attacks of suffocation.
6. Pulmonary emphysema. This consequence in children is extremely rare. It is characterized by the fact that gas exchange and their elasticity are disturbed in the lungs. In the early stages, this is manifested by shortness of breath in cold weather. But if there is a deterioration, then in any other season.
7. Bronchoobstruction. It is characterized by heavy breathing, which is accompanied by a disturbed exhalation. The child does not have time to completely exhale the air, as again takes a breath. As a result, the accumulation of these residues provokes increased pressure.
8. But the most rare consequence is the pulmonary heart. It provokes a constant high blood pressure. As a result, the gas exchange is disturbed, the child is not able to do anything from physical exertion.

Tips for preventing disease

To prevent bronchiolitis in children, try to protect them from communicating with already sick babies. Also, do not ignore antiviral measures, hardening procedures and proper eating.

It is desirable to create a hypoallergenic life, since allergies and bronchiolitis have much in common. Do not forget to follow the baby's nasopharynx. It is necessary that it was always clean, and there were no clusters.