Respiratory syncytial virus: from primary care to critical care.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common disease in pediatrics. Certain subpopulations of children are at greatest risk for serious disease. However, previously healthy children also may become critically ill. In the clinic or the intensive care unit, children with RSV pose the challenge of how to treat a disease when evidence to support therapeutic options is severely limited. Prophylaxis is an option for certain children, although many do not qualify. RSV has been implicated in continued wheezing and the subsequent development of asthma. While evidence for this implication is still being sought, researchers are working on finding new ways to treat and prevent RSV.