title: Acute bronchitis in children: building a clinical definition.
abstract: Much about acute bronchitis in children is uncertain, even its definition. This study was undertaken to help build a clinical definition to serve as a guide for further research. Charts of 180 children 1 to 12 years old were reviewed. Each had received a diagnosis of acute bronchitis (54 patients), upper respiratory infection with a cough (128 patients), or a new diagnosis of asthma (26 patients) during the previous 12 months. A history of sputum production (odds ration 25.0, p = 0.0001), the finding of rales or rhonchi on examination (OR 11.6, p less than 0.0001), and a past history of lower respiratory illness (OR 3.0, p = 0.01) were associated with a diagnosis of acute bronchitis, but fever and duration of illness were not. In addition, the diagnosis of acute bronchitis was strongly associated with a prescription for an antibiotic. In a child with a cough, acute bronchitis is more likely to be diagnosed if there is a history of sputum production, rales or rhonchi on examination, and a past history of lower respiratory disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia 65212.
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Vinson
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003371:Cough / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000150:complications; D013183:Sputum / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents