Protracted bacterial bronchitis of children

Protracted bacterial bronchitis(PBB) is a common cause of children chronic cough, especially in those aged 1~6 years.It is defined by the presence of persistent wet cough for longer than 4 weeks, but lacks of symptoms or signs of other alternative diagnosis of chronic cough.It shows a normal or near-normal chest radiograph, a intense neutrophilia in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF), and a chronic purulent bronchitis under bronchochoscopy, and usually resolves after two-week course of appropriate oral antibiotic(usually amoxicillin-clavulanatc). So far, PBB hasn′t been fully recognized by most pediatricians, and often been unrecognised or misdiagnosed as asthma.In this paper, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment are reviewed. Key words: Bacterial bronchitis; Chronic cough; Children