[Ribavirin treatment of children with respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis].

Until recently, the pharmacological treatment of infants with severe respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis has been limited to inhalation of adrenergic alfa- and beta 2-agonists, with the objective of reducing airway oedema and smooth muscle tension, thus improving oxygenation and reducing airway resistance. Corticosteroid treatment, aimed at attenuating the inflammatory response in the airway, has also been used. The introduction of the antiviral drug ribavirin, licensed in the US in 1986 and in Sweden 1989, offers a new therapeutic tool for a selected group of infants when conventional therapy proves inadequate. We report the successful treatment of a three week old infant with severe respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis, one of the few infants treated with ribavirin in Norway. This drug has been shown to reduce viral shedding and to improve oxygenation and clinical course. However, its cost-benefit and the safety aspects must be critically evaluated before treatment is initiated on a large scale.