Comparison of parent-reported recurrent wheezing during the first year of life in late preterm infants born at 33-35 weeks of gestation hospitalized for RSV bronchiolitis and non-RSV bronchiolitis.

Background: Fifty to eighty percent of the hospitalizations for bronchiolitis are caused by respiratory syncytial virus, but there are also other causing viral agents. In term infants, RSV hospitalizations have a more severe course than non-RSV hospitalization, while both types are associated with recurrent wheeze. Differences in recurrent wheeze in RSV - and non-RSV bronchiolitis are not known in otherwise healthy late preterm infants. Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of parent reported recurrent wheezing in the first year of life in late preterm infants after hospitalization for RSV bronchiolitis versus non-RSV bronchiolitis. Materials and methods: This prospective study included 3104 infants born between 33-35 weeks of gestation at 41 participating hospitals across the Netherlands. A parental questionnaire about clinical and demographic characteristics of the infant was completed at birth and at the age of one year. In case of admission for bronchiolitis, clinical details were obtained from the hospital files. Results: In the period from June 2008 to November 2012, we found that 196 infants were hospitalized for bronchiolitis (RSV; n=138, non-RSV; n=44, unknown; n=14). RSV bronchiolitis was associated with longer duration of hospitalization (5 days versus 3 days, p