title: Protracted bacterial bronchitis: reinventing an old disease.
abstract: Chronic cough is common in the paediatric population, yet the true prevalence of this condition remains difficult to define. Protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB) is a disease caused by the chronic infection of the conducting airways. In many children the condition appears to be secondary to impaired mucociliary clearance that creates a niche for bacteria to become established, probably in the form of biofilms. In others, immunodeficiencies, which may be subtle, appear to be a factor. PBB causes persistent coughing and disturbed sleep, and affects exercise tolerance, causing significant levels of morbidity. PBB has remained largely unrecognised and is often misdiagnosed as asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sheffield Children's Hospital, UK.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Craven
authors.forename: Mark L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Everard
mesh_terms: D001991:Bronchitis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003371:Cough / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans