Bronchial Obstruction in Infants: Case-Specific Approach
Study Objective: To identify the most significant predictors of different types of bronchial obstruction in infants, based on a review of their medical-history data, specific clinical manifestations, and risk factors. This was done to optimize the differential diagnosis and to clarify the prognosis. Study Design: This was a nonrandomized study of a case series. Materials and Methods: Overall, 343 infants, aged 1 to 12 months, were examined in the study. These infants had bronchial obstruction at the time of their admission to hospital. The study methods included clinical-examination methods (physical examination, history-data collection, and an assessment for risk factors) and a statistical analysis. Study Results: The authors identified the following three types of bronchial obstruction: bronchial obstruction of non-infectious origin, bronchial obstruction of infectious origin, and bronchial obstruction associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. The study showed that these groups differ in terms of the clinical picture, patients' medical-history data and risk factors. A logistic regression analysis was used to identify significant predictors of different types of bronchial obstruction that have different clinical and pathogenic features and to create models of these types. Conclusion: Identification of significant predictors of different types of bronchial obstruction in infants will help optimize a differential diagnostic approach to assessing their prognosis and providing treatment and regular follow-up to children who had bronchial obstruction in infancy.