Toward personalized medicine in bronchiolitis

Abstract

Nothing essential has changed in the definition of bronchiolitis since itsdescription nearly eighty years ago [1,2]. The syndrome affects infants and youngchildren at different ages, presents with a few overlapping symptoms of varying intensityand other manifestations often associated with specific pathogens (e.g.: fever andpharyngitis in influenza or wheezing with respiratory syncytial virus), and is caused byinfection with one or a combination of half a dozen viruses with different inflammatory,antiviral and/or atopic phenotypes [3]. Conceived as a single entity, a number ofcandidate drugs failed as therapeutics against it in randomized trials [4]. To date,management recommendations for hospitalized patients are based on supportive therapy[2]. Etiologic testing is discouraged [2].