EFFICACY OF BRONCHODILATOR DRUGS IN THE TREATMENT OF BRONCHIOLITIS: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Acute bronchiolitis (AB) is a syndrome characterized by respiratory effort and wheezing in children under 2 years of age who have presented with prodromes of viral infections of the upper respiratory tract, and its treatment is based on symptoms. Due to the lack of a specific therapy with a potential change factor, current guidelines allow clinical trials with the prescription of bronchodilator drugs. The aim of this literature review was to analyze the efficacy of bronchodilators in BA. A search was carried out in the National Library of Medicine (PubMed) and Virtual Health Library (VHL) databases with the descriptors “bronchiolitis” and “bronchodilator agents” and a total of 17 scientific articles were included after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. The studies analyzed showed that the efficacy of bronchodilators is not universally accepted. Although there is no therapy that takes into account the heterogeneity of patient characteristics and clinical presentations of the condition, the benefits of administering bronchodilators to a restricted group of patients, which is not covered by the guideline and the majority of clinical trials, are not questioned. In conclusion, there is an urgent need to identify the phenotypes of patients in whom the drug would be effective, minimizing the unjustified use of medication.