EVALUATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS IN CHILDREN WITH RECURRENT BRONCHIOLITIS ATTACKS

Authors : Sule Arici, Betül Orhaner

Pages : 91-101

Doi:10.54270/atljm.2025.87

View : 80 | Download : 461

Publication Date : 2025-06-11

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Background: Patients with recurrent bronchiolitis attacks in early childhood may present to the emergency department, which may result in repeated hospitalisations. Environmental factors play an important role in the severity and continuation of attacks. The aim of our study was to investigate environmental risk factors in children with recurrent bronchiolitis. Materials and Methods: Our study was conducted on 100 patients aged zero to 36 months who presented to the Paediatric Emergency Department of Bursa High Specialisation Training and Research Hospital with recurrent bronchiolitis attacks between May 2014 and May 2015. The characteristics considered when diagnosing acute bronchiolitis in these cases included tachypnoea, typical auscultation findings and signs of viral upper respiratory tract infection. Nineteen pre-determined questions were asked of the parents of the children in the study group in a survey format, and their responses were analysed. SPSS 15.0 for Windows was used for the statistical analysis. A level of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The patients’ ages ranged from one to 35 months, with a mean of 11.5 ± 8.6 months. Moreover, 44% of the cases were female, and 56% were male. The total number of emergency department applications ranged from one to 15, with an average of 4.6 ± 3.9. The number of acute bronchiolitis attacks ranged from one to 20, with an average of 3.8 ± 4.6. The number of previous hospitalisations due to acute bronchiolitis ranged from zero to three, with an average of 0.5 ± 0.7. The average hospital stay ranged from zero to 30 days, with an average of 3 ± 5.1 days. In addition, 25% of the mothers and 61% of the fathers were identified as active smokers. The rate of active smoking during pregnancy was 21%, while passive smoking exposure was detected in 52%. In 16% of the cases, a notable finding was present in the postnatal history, such as incubator care, oxygen requirement or asphyxia. The number of hospital admissions and the length of stays were noticeably higher (p < 0.05) in patients with postnatal complications than those without. Conclusion: This study identified important risk factors for acute bronchiolitis, particularly highlighting the impact of low income and socio–economic status. Additionally, preterm birth and postnatal complications were found to exacerbate the disease course.
Keywords : akut bronşiolit, çocuk, risk faktörleri

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