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Updated: Jun 18, 2026

An In vitro Model to Study Immune Responses of Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells to Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection
Published on: December 10, 2013
Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea: a potential late consequence of respiratory syncitial virus bronchiolitis
Ayelet Snow1, Ehab Dayyat, Hawley E Montgomery-Downs
1Division of Pediatric Sleep Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, and Kosair Children's Hospital Research Institute, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, USA.
Study Objectives:
To examine the hypothesis that children who suffered from severe respiratory syncitial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis during infancy may be at higher risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) later in childhood.
Methods:
Survey of Kosair Children's Hospital medical records allowed for identification of potential candidates for the study. Twenty-one randomly selected children (mean age +/- SD: 5.2 +/- 1.5 years) with a history of verified RSV-induced bronchiolitis during their first year of life underwent overnight sleep study (NPSG). Children recruited from the general population with no history of RSV bronchiolitis served as a control group. After matching for age, gender, ethnicity, gestational age at birth, body mass index (BMI) z scores, household cigarette smoking, history of asthma and allergies, 63 control subjects (mean age +/- SD: 5.1 +/- 0.7 years) were also studied.
Results:
Children who had RSV bronchiolitis as infants had significantly higher obstructive apnea/hypopnea index compared to controls (2.3 +/- 1.9 vs. 0.6 +/- 0.8 /hr total sleep time (TST); P < 0.05). In addition, significantly higher respiratory arousal indices were apparent among children with previous RSV bronchiolitis compared to controls (1.3 +/- 1.0 vs. 0.1 +/- 0.2 /hr TST; P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the groups in the lowest SpO(2), ETCO(2), and sleep indices.
Conclusions:
RSV bronchiolitis may contribute to the pathophysiology of OSA in vulnerable children.
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