Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40778659›Full record

SynthesisJournal of paediatrics and child health2025

Risk Factors for Severe Bronchiolitis in Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Infants: A Systematic Review.

Kate Loveys, Meredith L Borland, Ed Oakley, Franz E Babl, Elizabeth Cotterell, Libby Haskell, Sharon O'Brien, Catherine L Wilson, Emma J Tavender, Stuart R Dalziel and 1 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of paediatrics and child health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Kate LoveysDepartment of Paediatrics: Child and Youth Health, School of Medicine, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.ORCID 0000-0003-0694-4830
Meredith L BorlandEmergency Department, Perth Children's Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Ed OakleyDepartment of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Franz E BablDepartment of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-1107-2187
Elizabeth CotterellArmidale Rural Referral Hospital, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.
Libby HaskellDepartment of Paediatrics: Child and Youth Health, School of Medicine, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Sharon O'BrienEmergency Department, Perth Children's Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Catherine L WilsonEmergency Research, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Emma J TavenderDepartment of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Stuart R DalzielDepartment of Paediatrics: Child and Youth Health, School of Medicine, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.ORCID 0000-0003-0522-9579
Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative (PREDICT) Network

Funding

Cure Kids New ZealandNational Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) GNT1171228Royal Children's Hospital Foundation
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimBronchiolitis is the leading cause of hospital admission in Australasian infants. Infants with risk factors for severe disease may have a greater likelihood of prolonged hospitalisation and intensive care admission. This study aimed to synthesise the literature on risk factors for severe bronchiolitis in Australasian infants.

methodsSystematic review including observational studies of risk factors for severe bronchiolitis in Australasian infants (< 12 months), published from 2000. Databases were searched (24 January 2024): MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Cochrane Library and CINAHL. Risk of bias (RoB) was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cohort studies, and evidence quality was evaluated using GRADE. Results were narratively synthesised.

resultsTen out of 26 467 articles were included (N = 895 276; 12 cohorts, prospective = 5, retrospective = 7). Studies were mostly rated low RoB. There was evidence for the following risk factors: younger chronological age, prematurity, plural birth, comorbidity (chronic lung disease, congenital heart disease, chronic neurological disease, any genetic disorder, any comorbidity), Indigenous ethnicity, economic disadvantage, tobacco smoke exposure and timing of illness onset at presentation. Most risk factors had moderate-quality evidence (range high to very low). Evidence was lacking for the following risk factors present in international literature: breastfeeding exposure and faltering growth. The following risk factors have not been reported in Australasian infants: trisomy-21, congenital diaphragmatic hernia and environmental pollutants.

conclusionsRisk factors for severe bronchiolitis in Australasian infants are largely consistent with the international literature, although evidence is lacking for some. Knowledge of these risk factors is highly relevant to those assessing infants with bronchiolitis, and in guiding targeted delivery of respiratory syncytial virus immunisation and other preventative programmes.

trial registrationPROSPERO (CRD42023463917).

Indexed as

BronchiolitisAustraliaHospitalizationHumansInfantInfant, NewbornNew ZealandRisk FactorsSeverity of Illness IndexAustraliabronchiolitisinfantNew Zealandrisk factorssystematic review

Identifiers

PMID40778659
PMCPMC12515271

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.