[Diffuse panbronchiolitis in two brothers with different clinical courses].
Diffuse panbronchiolitis in two brothers is reported. The elder brother aged 46, was admitted in May 1983 due to severe dyspnea and productive cough, which had gradually worsened over several years. He had severe hypoxemia and hypercapnia. He died at age 47 of respiratory failure due to pseudomonas infection despite antibiotic therapy. The younger brother, at age 41, was admitted in March 1983 due to fever, productive cough, and abnormal shadows on chest X-ray films. He showed mild hypoxemia and his symptoms improved with antibiotic treatment. Since then he has been followed as an outpatient for over 7 years while taking 400 mg of Erythromycin per day, and he has had no exacerbation. These two cases had different clinical courses despite the facts that both had similar conditions of chronic sinusitis and appeared to be exposed to no special environmental or occupational hazards. These facts suggest that not only intrinsic factors, such as defenselessness of airways, but extrinsic factors such as viral, mycoplasmal, or bacterial infection may act together on the mechanisms of the onset and progression of diffuse panbronchiolitis.
Makiguchi
K
K
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan.
Sakaino
H
H
Yoshimura
N
N
Ichioka
M
M
Takayama
S
S
Tsutsui
H
H
Chida
M
M
Miyasato
I
I
Taniai
S
S
Marumo
F
F
D000328:Adult; D001988:Bronchiolitis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology
D004917:Erythromycin