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Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) - Treatment

Alternative Names

RSV; Palivizumab; Respiratory syncytial virus immune globulin

Treatment:

Antibiotics do not treat RSV.

Mild infections go away without treatment.

Infants and children with a severe RSV infection may be admitted to the hospital . Treatment will include:

Oxygen
Moist (humidified) air
Fluids through a vein (by IV)

A breathing machine (ventilator) may be needed.

Expectations (prognosis):

Rarely, RSV infection can cause death in infants. However, this is unlikely if the child is seen by a health care provider in the early stages of the disease .

More severe RSV disease may occur in the following infants:

Premature infants
Infants with chronic lung disease
Infants whose immune system does not work well
Infants with certain forms of heart disease

Complications:

In young children, RSV can cause:

Children who have had RSV bronchiolitis may be more likely to develop asthma.

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if breathing difficulties or other symptoms of this disorder appear. Any breathing difficulties in an infant are an emergency. Seek medical attention right away.

Bronchiolitis

Reviewed last on: 1/24/2011
Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Committee on Infectious Diseases. Modified recommendations for use of palivizumab for prevention of respiratory syncytial virus infections. Pediatrics. 2009;124:1694-1701.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus. In: Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2009:chap158.

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Evidence based clinical practice guideline for medical management of bronchiolitis in infants less than 1 year of age presenting with a first time episode. Cincinnati (OH): Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; 2006 May. 13 p.

Mcintosh K. Respiratory syncytial virus. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 257.

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