Acute bronchiolitis of infants: about 112 cases hospitalized in the pediatric department of CHU Gabriel Touré

Abstract

Introduction: Acutes Respiratory Infections (ARI) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and infant mortality in Mali. The objective of this work was to describe the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic aspects of acute bronchiolitis in infants in the pediatric department of CHU Gabriel Touré.

Methodology: This is a retrospective study of 112 infants aged 1 to 24 months hospitalized in the General Pediatric Department for acute

bronchiolitis. The study was spread over a one-year period (January 1 to December 31, 2012).

Results: Infants aged 1 to 6 months were the majority (69%). The average age of patients was 6 months with extremes of 1 and 24 months. The male sex was predominant (63%) with a sex ratio of 1.73. The primary reason for consultation was difficulty breathing (87%). The peak of hospitalization was in November (33%). The main clinical signs in addition to the sibilants were cough, rhinorrhea and respiratory distress (97%). Fever was present in 38% of cases and cyanosis in 4% of patients. Oxygen saturation was less than 94% in 50% of patients. Respiratory physiotherapy was done in one-third of the patients. All patients received corticosteroid therapy and nebulization with salbutamol and saline. Antibiotic therapy was performed in 85% of patients. The average duration of hospitalization was 6 days with extremes of 1 and 30 days. The cure rate was 98%.

Conclusion: Bronchiolitis is a benign and frequent pathology in the infants from 1 to 6 months, which evolves favorably in the majority of the cases