title: Role of chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in the development of bronchiectasis.
abstract: To understand the role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in the development of bronchiectasis, we investigated by CT the presence of bronchiectasis in two groups of chronic bronchitis patients and in a control group. There were no differences in clinical or laboratory findings between groups A and B. Three observers without any knowledge of these patients reported bronchiectasis on a scale of 0 to 3 and bronchial wall thickness on a scale of 0 to 3 in each lobe of both lungs. Bronchiectasis and wall thickness scores in group A (chronic bronchitis with P aeruginosa infection) were significantly higher than bronchiectasis scores and wall thickness in group B (chronic bronchitis without P aeruginosa infection). Both scores in group B were higher than those in group C (control group). These findings support the idea that chronic P aeruginosa infection plays a role in the development of bronchiectasis.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagaki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shimura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanno
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishibashi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takishima
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001987:Bronchiectasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology*; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001995:Bronchography; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000150:complications*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed