Do Antibiotics Help Bronchiolitis

Almost all causes of bronchiolitis are viral except rarely mycoplasma which may cause bronchiolitis in children above two years of age and should be treated with antibiotics. Its easy to discourage use of antibiotics in bronchiolitis but it is equally difficult to specify when to use it when the diagnosis in all cases is empirical. Antibiotics do not improve the clinical course of patients with bronchiolitis, and should be used only in those patients with proven concurrent bacterial infection. Exogenous surfactant and heliox therapy also cannot be recommended for routine use, but surfactant replacement holds promise and should be further studied. Bronchiolitis