Paediatria Croatica, Vol. 61 No. 2, 2017.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.13112/PC.2017.8
Characteristics of infants hospitalized with bronchiolitis at University Hospital of Split between 2011 and 2015
Petra Milić
; KBC Split
Maja Sikirca
Vjekoslav Krželj
Joško Markić
orcid.org/0000-0001-9469-9278
Abstract
The aim was to determine and analyze clinical and epidemiological characteristics of infants treated at University Hospital of Split
from 2011 to 2015 with the diagnosis of bronchiolitis. Bronchiolitis is an acute lower respiratory tract infection common in early
childhood. The most frequent etiologic agent is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) found in 60% to 80% of cases. Coughing, wheezing
and impaired nutrition are the major symptoms. Medical records of children under the age of one year who were hospi talized at
University Hospital of Split due to bronchiolitis between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. A
total of 560 infants were hospitalized during the 5-year period, out of them 340 were males. The most frequent symptoms were nasal
congestion, followed by wheezing, fever >38 °C, and crackles. Rapid antigen test for RSV was conducted in 193 infants and was
positive in 134 (69.4%) cases. Bronchodilators were administered in a vast majority of infants (74.5%), whereas inhaled corticosteroids
were used in 24.6% and racemic adrenaline in 14.1% of infants. Additional oxygen therapy was required only in 5% of cases.
Study results confi rmed the greater incidence of bronchiolitis in boys and the mean duration of hospital stay was 7.6±3.3 days. Antibiotic
therapy was administered in 85.2% of infants, which is considerably higher than in other published studies. Therefore,
additional eff ort should be invested to lower antibiotic administration.
Keywords
infant; bronchiolitis; therapeutics; population characteristics
Hrčak ID:
201052
URI
Publication date:
22.6.2017.
Visits: 1.575 *