Therapy of Sinobronchial Syndrome-Low-Dose Long-Term Chemotherapy of Erythromycin in Diffuse Panbronchiolitis

Diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) which is the representative of Japanese sinobronchial syndrome is grave in prognosis. Eighteen paients with DPB, including sixteen cases with H. influenzae infection and two with P. aeruginosa infection, were treated with 600mg of Erythromycin (EM) per day for 19.8 months on an average. After the therapy, dyspnea on exertion, body weight, chest X-ray findings, pulmonary function data including VC, FEV1.0 and RV/TLC, PaO2, cold agglutinin titer and IgM level were significantly improved. There were no significant side effects. There was no change of bacterial flora in sputum except one.Low-dose, long-term chemotherapy of EM could be useful in treatment of DPB.