Risk factors for development of post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans

Alison Ting Yih Hua
Timberland Medical Centre, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Bronchiolitis Obliterans (BO) is a disease characterised by small airway epithelial damage followed by an inflammatory response and progressive fibrosis leading to airway narrowing or complete obstruction. It is a serious and important lung condition, but one where the natural history can be highly variable and difficult to predict for each individual patient. It can arise from a variety of causes including inhalational injury, immune mediated damage to airway epithelium and as a result of complications post transplant. In children, the most common cause is post infectious bronchiolitis obliterans (PIBO). There are no specific symptoms for this condition; often there are prolonged unremitting combinations of cough, wheeze, tachypnoea and hypoxaemia following an acute severe lower respiratory infectious event. Early diagnosis is crucial but can be challenging. There is a need for a better understanding of this disease entity to help define specific therapeutic strategies and improve clinical prognosis. This session will cover our current understanding of risk factors for the development of PIBO.