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Published on: May 10, 2024

Wheezing and respiratory infections in Brazilian children: does a standard management work?

Antonio Jose Ledo Alves da Cunha1, Márcia Garcia Alves Galvão, Marilene Santos

  • 1Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Journal of Tropical Pediatrics
|December 17, 2008
PubMed

Insights

The World Health Organization (WHO) protocol effectively manages acute respiratory infections (ARI) with wheezing in children, reducing unnecessary antibiotic use. This approach shows promise for emergency room settings.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Respiratory Medicine

Background:

  • Wheezing in acute respiratory infections (ARI) often leads to inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions.
  • Effective management protocols are needed to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use in pediatric respiratory illnesses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the effectiveness of the World Health Organization (WHO) protocol for managing children with ARI and wheezing.
  • To evaluate the clinical response of pediatric patients following WHO guidelines.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 217 children aged 2-59 months in a Brazilian public hospital.
  • Children with fast breathing received bronchodilator inhalations; chest radiographs were used for persistent cases.
  • Audible wheezing was documented, and antibiotics were prescribed only when pneumonia was indicated.

Main Results:

  • Audible wheezing was present in 18.6% of the children studied.
  • 87.6% of children achieved normal respiratory rates after bronchodilator inhalations.
  • In confirmed pneumonia cases, 26% continued to exhibit fast breathing post-treatment.

Conclusions:

  • The WHO protocol demonstrates a good response rate in managing pediatric ARI with wheezing in emergency settings.
  • While effective, the protocol may still result in a small number of children unnecessarily receiving antibiotics.
Abstract

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