RSV ACTS LIKE COLD BUT MORE DANGEROUS

Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, looks like a cold and acts like a cold, but in children younger than 4 it can be a lot more dangerous than a cold.

RSV is a common virus that infects nearly every child in their first year. The virus is spread from person to person, usually during between October and March.

There is no limit to how often a person can acquire the virus, although the first case is usually the most severe.

Effects of the virus range from mild to possibly life-threatening in newborns and infants, but it can also be dangerous for anyone whose immune system has been compromised. Diseases and symptoms that can compromise the immune system include: heart or lung disease, cystic fibrosis, organ transplant, cancer chemotherapy treatment and premature birth.

Outbreaks are usually sudden and epidemic because a person can be infectious before and after symptoms appear. Because of this, research has shown that keeping a child from daycare or other normal settings after RSV is diagnosed is usually ineffective.

About half of those infected end up with a mild chest cold with the accompanying runny nose, mild cough and low-grade fever. However, every year the virus causes some 80,000 children breathing difficulties severe enough to require hospitalization.

Both Southeast Missouri Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center have already admitted children suffering from the virus this winter. Pediactric nurses said children usually remain hospitalized two to four days until their swollen airways are reduced enough to allow them to breathe easier.

The virus is usually diagnosed by a nasal swab test, they said, or if children exhibit warning signs such as a respiratory rate of over 40 breaths per minute. Other danger signs include extreme breathing difficulties, decreased fluid intake and choking when eating or drinking.

In severe cases medication can be used to fight the virus, but the treatments available are very expensive, they said. Usually the virus is allowed to run its course and patients receive treatments for the symptoms accompanying the virus.

Frequent hand washing is the best way to prevent the spread of RSV. The virus usually runs its course within eight days, but symptoms can linger for as long as two months.

What is RSV?

-- Respiratory syncytial virus, the most frequent cause of serious respiratory tract infections in infants and children younger than 4 years of age. This is such a common virus that virtually all children have been infected by RSV by the age of 3. In most young children, it results in a mild respiratory infection that is not distinguishable from a common cold.

A person becomes infected by coming in close contact with another infected person. RSV occurs throughout the year and occurs in wide-scale, sudden outbreaks.

Approximately 80,000 children are hospitalized with these infections each year.

When does RSV occur:

RSV occurs throughout the year and is most prevalent between October and March.

What are the symptoms of RSV:

These are symptoms that may linger from one week to as long as two months.

Early stages:

-- Upper respiratory infection (a cold)

-- Nasal stuffiness and discharge

-- Mild cough

-- Low-grade fever

-- Ear infections (occasional)

After a day or two:

-- More pronounced cough

-- Rapid and more difficult breathing

Can RSV be serious?

Yes. An infant or young child who is experiencing his or her first RSV infection may develop a severe infection in the lower respiratory tract that is best managed in the hospital. Most commonly, the ones requiring hospitalization are newborns and infants and those who have other complicating or underlying conditions such as congenital heart, lung disease or prematurity.

When to call the doctor:

-- If you child is younger than 1 year of age and has an underlying disease you should let your physician know whenever the baby develops a respiratory infection. Underlying diseases include:

heart disease

lung disease,

cystic fibrosis,

low immunity,

organ transplant,

a cancer for which he is receiving chemotherapy,

premature, with lung disease developing after birth,

-- If fever lasts more than three days or is present at all in an infant under three months.

-- If the child dilates his nostrils and squeezes the muscles under his rib cage in efforts to get more air in and out of his lungs.

-- If the child uses the muscles between the ribs and above the collarbone to help him breathe.

-- If the child grunts and tightens his abdominal muscles when breathing.

-- If the child makes a high-pitched whistling sound, called a wheeze, each time he exhales.

-- If the child doesn't take fluids well because he is working so hard to breath that he has difficulty sucking and swallowing.

-- If a blush tint occurs around the child's lips and fingertips, indicating that airways are so blocked that an inadequate amount of oxygen is getting into the blood.

Prevention

-- Avoid contact with anyone in the contagious stages of respiratory infections.

-- Wash hands thoroughly and frequently.

SOURCE:

Saint Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital