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Complications of RSV Infection

Most frequent complications

Lower respiratory system infections, which affect the bronchial tubes and lungs, sometimes follow infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The most common types of these infections include:

  • Bronchiolitis, which is an inflammation of the small air passages (bronchioles). Bronchiolitis is most common in children younger than 2. It is the leading cause of serious lower respiratory illness in infants.
  • Pneumonia, which can make it hard to breathe and to get enough oxygen into the bloodstream because of inflammation in the lungs.

Other complications

Other health problems can also develop as a complication of RSV infection. These include:

  • Ear infections, because RSV commonly infects the middle ear.
  • Asthma that gets worse when a child has an RSV infection.
  • Dehydration, which can affect anyone who is too ill to absorb enough liquids.
  • Collapsed lung (atelectasis), a rare condition that can arise from blocked small air passages in the lung.
  • Sudden heart failure, which can result from troubled breathing. This complication is more likely in older adults who have heart problems or other lung problems.
By Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer John Pope, MD - Pediatrics
Specialist Medical Reviewer Thomas Emmett Francoeur, MDCM, CSPQ, FRCPC - Pediatrics
Last Revised July 9, 2010

Last Revised: July 9, 2010

Author: Healthwise Staff

Medical Review: John Pope, MD - Pediatrics & Thomas Emmett Francoeur, MDCM, CSPQ, FRCPC - Pediatrics

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