Bronchiolitis

Bronchiolitis is an infection of the lower respiratory tract that usually affects infants. There is swelling in the bronchioles (smaller airways) of the lung, which causes an obstructed airflow.

• Seventy-five percent of bronchiolitis occurs in the first year of a baby’s life.
• Bronchiolitis usually occurs in the winter and spring.
• The condition is most common in babies between 2 to 6 months of age.
• Bronchiolitis is the leading cause of hospitalization among infants.

How Children’s approaches bronchiolitis

Here at Children’s Hospital Boston, we are actively working on research designed to target the identification of genes that underlie susceptibility to RSV bronchiolitis and subsequent asthma.