Are there drugs to treat bronchiolitis?

Are there drugs to treat bronchiolitis?

Some doctors have used steroids, while others used inhaled bronchodilators to treat bronchiolitis. There is no hard evidence to show that these are useful. However, it is likely that research will continue to find ways to improve treatment. For instance, oxygen therapy is also being studied and is sometimes used.

What are complications related to bronchiolitis?

A common complication of bronchiolitis is an ear infection. Another less common complication is bacterial pneumonia.

A small percentage of children may need oxygen therapy or intravenous (IV) fluids, which would be given in the hospital. Bronchiolitis is the main reason that infants are hospitalized in the U.S., with about 100,000 hospital admissions per year. While bronchiolitis is manageable, it can also be life-threatening in rare cases, such as when it causes respiratory failure.

There are fewer than 100 children per year who die from bronchiolitis in the U.S. Globally, this number is about 200,000 per year.