Prematurity is a risk factor for developing severe viral bronchiolitis in children under three years of age. Roberto Gilbert Hospital from January 2017 to December 2019.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Bronchiolitis is a significant cause of respiratory disease in children under three years of age and represents one of the leading causes of hospitalization in infants and children under 5. Risk factors that lead to the development of severe disease include less than 12 weeks, a history of prematurity ≤36 SG, and low birth weight; in Ecuador, acute bronchiolitis ranks 9th among the ten leading causes of infant morbidity in children under one year.

METHODOLOGY: It is a relational, observational, retrospective, cross-sectional bivariate study. The information was collected from the medical records of patients who were admitted by emergency and electively who were hospitalized at the Roberto Gilbert Hospital with a definitive diagnosis of bronchiolitis in the period from January 2017 to December 2019.

RESULTS: Of the 278 patients in the sample, 21,58% (60 patients) have a history of prematurity as a precedent, and 78,42 % (218 patients) are children with bronchiolitis born at term. Of 100 % of all premature infants, 53 % developed moderate bronchiolitis, 32 % severe bronchiolitis, and 15 % mild bronchiolitis.

CONCLUSION: The proposed hypothesis turned out to be false, finding no association between a history of prematurity and the development of severe bronchiolitis. The pediatric patients in the study developed bronchiolitis of similar severity, the most common being moderate, regardless of whether they were born prematurely or at term.