Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
Bronchiolitis is a common lung infection, often caused by a virus. It most frequently occurs in infants, commonly younger than 6 months of age. Typically, bronchiolitis occurs during the winter months.
Bronchiolitis starts out with symptoms similar to those of a common cold but then progresses to coughing and wheezing. Symptoms of bronchiolitis typically last for a week or two and then go away.
In some cases, especially if your child has an underlying health problem or is a significantly premature newborn, bronchiolitis can become severe and require hospitalization.
References
- In: Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 76th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2009. Accessed Aug. 5, 2010.
- Piedra PA. Bronchiolitis in infants and children: Clinical features and diagnosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 5, 2010.
- Watts KD, et al. Wheezing, bronchiolitis, and bronchitis. In: Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, 18th ed. Saunders Elsevier; 2007. Accessed Aug. 5, 2010.
- Everard ML. Acute bronchiolitis and croup. Pediatric Clinics of North America. 2009;56:119.
- Seiden JA, et al. Bronchiolitis: An evidence-based approach to management. Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine. 2009;10:75.
- Hoecker JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 8, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on