title: [Clinical features of protracted bacterial bronchitis in children].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the clinical characteristics of protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB) in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinical data of patients seen from October, 2010 to March, 2014 in Department of Respiratory Diseases of our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Inclusion criteria were over 4 weeks cough, receiving fiberoptic bronchoscopy, positive bacterial culture and (or) the increased percentage of neutral granulocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty eight patients were involved, 26 were male (93%) and two were female (7%). The median age of patients was 8.5 months. The median duration of cough was four weeks. The average length of hospital stay was (8.3 ± 3.9)days. The main clinical feature was wet cough in 28 cases, wet cough with wheezing was seen in 21 cases. The wet cough phase distribution was irregular in 21 cases. The crackles with wheeze (in 21 cases) was main signs of PBB. The percentage of CD3⁻ CD16⁺ 56⁺ cells increased in peripheral blood. The fiberoptic bronchoscopic manifestations of PBB were luminal mucosal edema. Eleven patients also had airway malacia. The neutrophil median in BALF was 0.2. The positive rate of bacterial culture of BALF was 36%. The main bacteria were Streptococcus pneumoniae (50%) and Haemophilus influenzae (30%). The main treatment for PBB patients included amoxycillin/clavulanate potassium and second-generation cephalosporins. The average duration of treatment was (17.3 ± 3.2)days, the prognosis was good.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PBB is common in male infants. Persistent wet cough with wheezing was the main characteristic of PBB. PBB is commonly accompanied by immune dysfunction and airway malacia, and the pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Diseases, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215003, China.
authors.forename: Fanfan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: Yuqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Email: hcl_md@163.com.
authors.forename: Chuangli
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.forename: Huiquan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Xingmei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Xiaoyun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yanhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D003371:Cough; D005260:Female; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012135:Respiratory Sounds; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification