Sometimes a cold develops into acute obstructive bronchitis in infants and young children. Many of these small patients can be treated on an outpatient basis; hospitalization is only necessary in some cases.
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Salbutamol dilates the bronchi. Young children, for example, inhale through a mask or use a nebulizer like here.
Acute obstructive bronchitis (AOB) is typically preceded by a common infection with rhinitis, pharyngitis and/or otitis and possibly fever. After 24–72 hours, coughing, expiratory breath sounds (whistling, wheezing), and prolonged expiration occur. Unlike asthma, in which the bronchi are narrowed by the muscular coat, in AOB the swollen mucosa narrows the lumen. As a result, the lungs are not emptied sufficiently at the end of expiration, explained Prof. Fred Zepp from the Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine at the University Medical Center Mainz.
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