The severity of the first occurrence of bronchiolitis increased the risk of developing asthma symptoms.

Aim: The relationship between bronchiolitis and asthma is complex. We assessed whether patients admitted to a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) with bronchiolitis had a greater risk of developing asthma than patients admitted to a paediatric ward.

Methods: We retrospectively included children under 1 year of age, who were hospitalised for bronchiolitis for the first time at the University Hospital of Caen, France, between 2010 and 2014. The children were divided into two groups: 89 were admitted to the paediatric ward and 89 were admitted to the PICU. We wanted to assess which group developed more asthma before 6 years of age. The Global Initiative for Asthma definition was used.

Results: The median age of the 178 children (55% boys) was 32 (interquartile range 19-56) days. We found that 35% of the PICU group and 19% of the ward group had asthma at 6 years of age. The mean onset of symptoms was 3 years earlier in the PICU group than the ward group (p < 0.01). Both these findings were significant.

Conclusion: The severity of the first episode of bronchiolitis increased the risk of developing asthma symptoms. Regular follow-ups are suggested for infants admitted to PICUs for bronchiolitis.