RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: We try in this paper to improve the knowledge of the main epidemiological, clinic, evolutive and therapeutic data in cases of children suffering from bronchiolitis in our medium; we analyze particularly the possible usefulness of ribavirin as a causal treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Firstly we have accomplished backward studies about the children suffering from bronchiolitis, who has been hospitalized in our Unit from January 1987 to May 1994. Then we have carried out a comparative study of the evolution in both groups of patients with and without RBV treatment. We have identified the Respiratory Sincityal Virus (RSV) by direct immunofluorescence. RESULTS: We have found that the bronchiolitis impact is much higher during the winter, as well as city areas. The more affected patients are significantly younger than those with less severe injuries (p < 0.0005), and then, often show personal antecedent of prematurity and neonatal respiratory pathology. We have identified the RSV in 90.8% of the patients. The group treated with RBV showed a significative improvement of respiratory distress. The final cost of treatment was very similar in both groups (with and without RBV), since the hospital stay was shorten in the ribavirin group. CONCLUSION: RBV treatment was very usefull in moderate as well as severe cases in wich we found in average, a significative improvement of the clinic sign of respiratory distress.
