Viral Bronchiolitis Findings in Children at the Pediatric Clinic of Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo

Abstract

Bronchiolitis is a relatively common respiratory condition, usually presenting in the first two years of life. It is followed by audible phenomena, due to inflammatory airway obstruction. Common symptoms are nasal discharge, cough, tachypnoea, fever, and cyanosis. The cause is viral, most commonly respiratory syncytial virus. Bronchitis leads to respiratory acidosis and leads to accumulation of carbon dioxide. We analyzed 83 patients with a diagnosis of bronchiolitis at the discharge from the Pediatric clinic of the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo. We observed the relationships between acid-base status parameters, blood work parameters, age, and weight and placed them into groups based on whether they had any co¬morbidities or not. Patients without comorbidities showed significant differences in age, body temperature, and leukocyte count compared to patients with comorbidities. We also noted significant correlations be¬tween age, weight, hemoglobin level, hematocrit, erythrocyte count, pCO2, pH, and HCO3 which led to a conclusion that it is likely that in young children with bronchiolitis, the issue is not in the elimination of CO2 through lungs. Rather, it is the transport of CO2 to the lungs due to reduced erythrocyte count and so we believe, that if proven feasible, bronchiolitis could be treated with pure erythrocyte trans.