Complications
If your child develops complications from bronchiolitis, it's likely that they'll need hospital treatment.
Potential complications of bronchiolitis include:
- cyanosis (a blue tinge to the skin caused by a lack of oxygen)
- dehydration (when the normal water content of the body is reduced)
- fatigue (extreme tiredness and a lack of energy)
- severe respiratory failure (an inability to breathe unaided)
In rare cases, bronchiolitis can be accompanied by a bacterial lung infection called pneumonia. Pneumonia will need to be treated separately.
Contact your GP immediately if any of these complications occur.
In some cases (for example, if your child is having severe breathing difficulties) you'll need to dial 999 and ask for an ambulance so your child can be taken to hospital.
Read more about when to get medical advice and when to call 999.
Who's at risk?
Although serious complications are rare, around 45,000 children with bronchiolitis are admitted to hospital in England each year for further monitoring or treatment.
If your child was born with a health problem, such as a heart or lung condition, there's an increased risk of complications from bronchiolitis.
Their symptoms may be more severe and come on very rapidly.
The infection may also make any symptoms of your child's underlying health problem worse.
Long-term effects of bronchiolitis
Bronchiolitis does not usually cause long-term breathing problems, but it can damage the cells in your child's airways.
This damage can last for 3 to 4 months in some children, causing persistent wheezing and coughing.
Respiratory conditions in later life
There may be a link between bronchiolitis and developing respiratory conditions such as asthma in later life. But the link is not fully understood.
It's not clear whether having bronchiolitis as an infant increases your risk of developing asthma later in life, or whether there are environmental or genetic (inherited) factors that cause both bronchiolitis and asthma.
If your child has repeated bouts of bronchiolitis, their risk of developing asthma later in life may be increased.
Page last reviewed: Fri Aug 2021 Next review due: Wed Feb 2020
