Nasopharyngeal lactate dehydrogenase concentrations predict bronchiolitis severity in a prospective multicenter emergency department study.

We reexamined the finding of an inverse relationship between values of nasopharyngeal lactate dehydrogenase, a marker of the innate immune response, and bronchiolitis severity. In a prospective, multicenter study of 258 children, we found in a multivariable model that higher nasopharyngeal lactate dehydrogenase values in young children with bronchiolitis were independently associated with a decreased risk of hospitalization.