Read up on Bronchiolitis treatment options at Consumer Reports Health.

Bronchiolitis

Key points about treatments

Most babies or young children with bronchiolitis can be cared for at home. But you should get medical help if your child doesn't drink and starts to get dehydrated (become too low in body fluids) or has difficulty breathing.

Bronchiolitis is an infection of the small tubes (bronchioles) inside the lungs.

The symptoms of bronchiolitis aren't severe for most young children. But the illness can become serious for babies and infants who have other lung diseases or heart diseases. Babies who are born prematurely or who have problems fighting off infections (have an immune problem) may also be at greater risk from life-threatening bronchiolitis.

Source:
Purcell K, Fergie J
Driscoll Children's Hospital respiratory syncytial virus database: risk factors, treatment and hospital course in 3308 infants and young children, 1991 to 2002.
The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. 2004; 23: 418-423.

Your baby may need care in the hospital until they are over the illness.
Your baby may need to be fed through a special tube into their stomach and given extra oxygen.
Treatment with medication is unlikely to help your child recover from bronchiolitis.
A course of injections of palivizumab (brand name Synagis) each month during the winter can protect babies at high risk of life-threatening bronchiolitis.

Sources for the information on this page:

Purcell K, Fergie JDriscoll Children's Hospital respiratory syncytial virus database: risk factors, treatment and hospital course in 3308 infants and young children, 1991 to 2002.The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. 2004; 23: 418-423.

This information was last updated on Nov 06, 2008

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
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