Abbreviated as RSV, the Respiratory Syncytial Virus is a cause of respiratory illness among young children. Mostly for young children and infants, RSV causes nothing more than a common cold. For a smaller percentage however, the RSV presents itself as bronchiolitis a common lower respiratory disease that obstruct breathing. In other cases RSV can result in serious and life-threatening illnesses among young children such as pneumonia or the inflammation of small airways of the lungs. Data from Public health reveals that over 33 million cases of children below 5 years have been reported for the last one year, 10 percent of them requiring admission in hospitals and 199,000 dying of RSV (Zanone et al, 2016). Besides being a leading cause in infant mortality, there are few vaccines to protect infants from the virus.
Pathophysiology of RSV
With the infection of RSV being limited to the respiratory tract, it does not spread in a systemic manner. Initially, the infection of RSV in young children onsets at the lower respiratory tract and manifests itself as bronchiolitis. Through the epithelial cells, the RSV becomes inoculated in the upper parts of the respiratory tract (Jha, Jarvis, Fraser & Openshaw, 2016). The spread down the tract occurs by means of cell transfer along the intracytoplasmic bridges that exist between the upper and lower respiratory tract. Within 1-2 days of the of the development of RSV in the respiratory tract, the illness progresses to the small airway disease characterized by wheezing, coughing, lack of appetite, and low grade fever. The incubation and shredding period of RSV ranges between 2 days to eight weeks for young children and infants.
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Signs and Symptoms
RSV causes cold-like symptoms including a cough and runny nose that can last for a period of one to two weeks. Also, a high pitched and wheezing noise produced by the child when they breathe could be a sign of RSV (Jha, Jarvis, Fraser & Openshaw, 2016). Often children with RSV are upset and inherently inactive. When they breathe they pause due to trouble in taking deep breaths. Difficulty in breathing which is categorized as abnormal breathing stems from chest wall retractions. Among infants, the appetite becomes low to the extent that they have trouble breastfeeding or bottle feeding. Also, their cough has a green, yellow or gray mucus. A young child that has RSV also appears dehydrated. Dehydration manifests in the form of little or no tears while crying, cool dry skin, and little to no urine within six hours. Also bluish color around the mouth finger nails and lips is observed on infants in serious cases of RSV (Jha, Jarvis, Fraser & Openshaw, 2016). Infants and young children that reveal these signs and symptoms are advised to seek medical treatment.
Treatment
The treatment of RSV falls under three categories supportive care, immune prophylaxis, and antiviral medication. Primarily, however, the treatment is mainly supportive (Jha, Jarvis, Fraser & Openshaw, 2016). This includes nasal suction using syringes and saline drops. Also, the lubrication of nostrils can help reduced and relieve nasal congestion. For children who reveal the onset of bronchiolitis, increased respiratory rate, fever, and decreased appetite could manifest (Jha, Jarvis, Fraser & Openshaw, 2016). To treat such, doctors need to administer intravenous fluids. For children less than six months of age breastfeeding or bottle feeding should be done frequently to increase fluids in the body. For children above six months of age, plenty of fluids such as water and juice should be given frequently on a daily basis.
In conclusion RSV is common among young children and infants. The virus is restricted to the respiratory tract. As highlighted in the paper, RSV manifests as common cold but could worsen to serious health problems such as pneumonia or bronchiolitis. Treatment for RSV is mainly primary care that involves the above described steps to make the child comfortable.
References
Jha, D. A., Jarvis, H., Fraser, C., & Openshaw, P. J. (2016). Respiratory syncytial virus . European Respiratory Society.
Zanone, S. M., Krause, L. K., Madhi, S. A., Bassat, Q., Jha, P., Simões, E. A., ... & Polack, F. P. (2016). Challenges in estimating RSV-associated mortality rates. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine , 4 (5), 345-347.
