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Published on: January 16, 2013

[Bronchiolitis and pulmonary hypertension]

Luiza Bardi-Peti1, Eugen Pascal Ciofu

  • 1Universitatea de Medicină si Farmacie "Carol Davila", S.C.U.C. "Grigore Alexandrescu", Bucureşti. luizabardi@yahoo.com

Pneumologia (Bucharest, Romania)
|August 11, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Previously healthy infants with bronchiolitis can develop elevated pulmonary artery pressures (PAP), indicating potential pulmonary hypertension. This finding suggests PAP may be a useful indicator for disease severity and prognosis in infants with bronchiolitis.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Cardiology
  • Pulmonology
  • Neonatal Medicine

Background:

  • Bronchiolitis is a common respiratory infection in infants.
  • Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is a serious condition that can arise from respiratory illnesses.
  • The relationship between bronchiolitis and elevated pulmonary artery pressures (PAP) in previously healthy infants requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if previously healthy infants diagnosed with bronchiolitis exhibit increased pulmonary artery pressures.
  • To evaluate the potential link between bronchiolitis and the development of pulmonary hypertension.

Main Methods:

  • Echocardiography (2D and Doppler) was used to measure pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) in 94 infants (47 with bronchiolitis, 47 controls) aged 2-12 months.
  • Infants with congenital heart disease or other causes of pulmonary hypertension were excluded.
  • Pulmonary arterial pressure was estimated using time to peak velocity corrected for heart rate; Student's t-test was used for comparisons.

Main Results:

  • 13 infants with bronchiolitis showed elevated mean PAP (> 25 mmHg), categorized as mild-moderate pulmonary hypertension.
  • Mean PAP was significantly higher in infants with bronchiolitis compared to controls (p = 0.001).
  • Infants with bronchiolitis and pulmonary hypertension had significantly longer hospitalizations (p = 0.006) and higher PAP with moderate/severe wheezing (p = 0.001).

Conclusions:

  • Echocardiography provides valuable insights into pulmonary hypertension in infants with bronchiolitis.
  • Pulmonary hypertension may serve as a criterion for assessing disease severity, a prognostic factor, and a guide for therapeutic interventions in bronchiolitis.
Abstract

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