Abstract
Introduction We have previously demonstrated the association between bronchiolitis from Rhinovirus (RV) and recurrent wheezing after 1 yr follow-up Aims and Methods Identify risk factors for persistent wheezing (PW) after 5 yrs follow up in 162 infants (median age 2.0 m, range 7 d-11 m, 94 males) hospitalized with bronchiolitis from Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), RV, Bocavirus (hBoV), Influenza A and B, Parainfluenza 1-3, Metapneumovirus, Adenovirus and Coronavirus detected from nasal washes with RT-PCR. Demographic and clinical data were obtained with a structured questionnaire and from patient's medical files. Results After 5 yrs follow-up 99 (61.1%) families answered to phone calls. Children were divided in: never wheezing (NW, n=33), transient wheezing (TW, n=31) and PW (n=26). The percentage of children with an absolute number of blood eosinophils greater than 400 cells/µl was higher in children with PW than in those with TW and NW (0, 0, 11.4%;p<0.02). The percentage of children with blood CRP concentration lower than 0.8 mg/dl and absence of chest X ray consolidations differed between children with PW, TW and NW (48.5% vs 60% vs 74.3%;p<0.03 and 11.1% vs 17.9% vs 31.4%; p<0.06). 17.1% of children with PW had bronchiolitis from RV comparing to 6.5% of children with TW and 3% of children who NW (p<0.06). 66.7% of infants with bronchiolitis from RV developed PW comparing to 50% of infants with bronchiolitis from hBoV, 27% of infants with bronchiolitis from RSV and 12.5% of infants with bronchiolitis from RSV+hBoV. Conclusions Atopic predisposition and RV infection seem to predict which infant will have PW after bronchiolitis.
- © 2012 ERS
