Bronchiolitis and adult lung problems

Infants who develop a respiratory virus infection that causes inflammation of the lungs, a condition called bronchiolitis, are more likely to have respiratory symptoms and asthma when they become adults.A number of studies have documented wheezing after acute viral infantile bronchiolitis, however, none have covered the long-term consequences of the disease into adulthood.Researchers from the Hospital Clinico de Zaragoza, Spain, studied 71 subjects, ranging in age from 19 to 26, with an early history of bronchiolitis, and compared them with 32 controls who didn't have bronchiolitis when they were infants. The researchers found that the bronchiolitis group had a significantly higher rate of respiratory symptoms, such as asthma and wheezing, than did the controls. Although the peak expiratory flow rate was lower in the bronchiolitis group, other pulmonary function results were similar to the control group, including skin prick tests for allergies.The researchers concluded that bronchiolitis in infancy is an important risk factor for asthma-like symptoms in adulthood, independent of allergic causes.

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