What are the respiratory viruses that affect children

Colds and consequently mucus and cough are common in the lives of young children, who are going to suffer during the first years of life until their immune systems mature and are better able to fight infections.

We said not long ago, boogers are our friends , and partly why children are called (ba) “brats” because it is normal for children to go often with mucus colgandito. Now, what are the respiratory viruses that affect our children? What do you call? Is there any more bad milk (cold end in something worse) than another?

What are these viruses?



A recent study, published this month in the journal Pediatrics , has managed to analyze the virus of 434 children up to 5 years old for some viruses which cause colds, the frequency with which they appear and the percentage of infections complicated. The initial objective of the study, in fact, was to determine the prevalence of human rhinovirus ( HRV ), as is known to be the most common, and incidentally learn more from other virus.

To get to know the virus that affects each child enough to do a nasopharyngeal aspirate, ie a sample of them out snot basically to analyze and find the cause of colds.

The researchers found that the human rhinovirus was present in 181 samples (47.7%). In 107 was the only causative agent of cold and in the remaining 74 it was part of a multiple infection, accompanied mostly (43.2%) by respiratory syncytial virus ( RSV ). Altogether viewed 9 different viruses, but outside the HRV and RSV the rest were less frequent.

Of the 107 children who had only the HRV 28.9% (31 children) had moderate to severe symptoms, such as wheezing, severe cough and difficulty breathing. When infection was more virus symptoms were moderate to severe in 51.3% of cases (38 of the 74 children).

Also saw that in infections with multiple viruses more bronchial and pulmonary respiratory infections were produced , with more hospital admissions. When between the virus was RSV likely to end up in the case was more severe disease.

They also saw that the children were premature , they had cardiomyopathy and non-infectious respiratory disease of base, such as asthma, also had a higher probability of ending up in colds worse.

This concluded that the rhinovirus, the only thought was capable of producing mild colds, you can also end up in more serious respiratory infections and the respiratory syncytial virus has very bad temper, as is the main culprit for many of pneumonia and bronchitis of children .

What can we do about them?

As you know once you have a virus you just have to wait for it to go the way you came. C’;mon, there’;s not much we can do for our son to heal beyond treating the symptoms so that, meanwhile, is best.

What we can do is try to prevent. Avoid people with colds approach infants and children, especially those who have some basic cardiac or respiratory disease or were born premature . The hand washing also is essential before taking a baby or child, even if we are not cold, because through hands we can carry the virus from others , acting vehicle.

What to know what is the virus?

Well, practice is not much, because after all there is no treatment or for the HRV or for the VRS , but at least we know so we know what our neighbor tells us when we explain how bad was your tiny, entered, when I took the respiratory syncytial virus, which have suffered as every child at least once when he has completed 2 years says. Culturilla usually call.

Vía | Medline , Abstract study in Pubmed

Photo | SCA Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget Flickr

and more in Babies | Respiratory syncytial virus in babies , and why the cold no more colds and flus , Back to school, back to the Colds and the “snot”

What are the respiratory viruses that affect children