An assessment on the use of chest imaging in children admitted with viral induced wheeze

Viral induced wheeze in preschool children
\n(children less than 5 years of age) is a common
\ncondition encountered by general practitioners and
\npaediatricians worldwide. Martinez et al, in 2005
\nshowed that approximately 25-30% of infants and
\nyoung children would have at least two episodes of
\nwheezing in early childhood. Approximately 40%
\nwill have had an episode of wheeze by the age of 3
\nyears and almost half of them will have had at least
\none episode of wheezing by the age of six.1
\nBisgaard et al in 2006 showed in a cohort study that
\nnearly 33% of children between the ages of 1 and 5
\nyears suffer from wheezing associated with upper
\nrespiratory tract infections. Fortunately, the
\nmajority tend to have only transient symptoms
\nwhich resolve by five to six years of age.
\nThe small anatomy of the bronchi in infants
\nresults in higher peripheral airway resistance.
\nSubsequently, respiratory illness will have
\nproportionately greater impact on total airway
\nresistance. In addition, infants have less elastic
\ntissue recoil and fewer collateral airways, making
\nthem susceptible to obstruction and atelectasis. The
\nrib cage, trachea, and bronchi are also more
\ncompliant in infants and young children. These
\nfactors make infants and young children particularly
\nsusceptible to wheezing and respiratory distress.