Royal Brompton Hospital,
77 Wimpole Street,
London, W1G 9RU
77 Wimpole Street,
London, W1G 9RU
Respiratory Conditions
Bronchitis ie inflammation of the bronchi is rarely used in children as it is a symptom not a diagnosis. An analogy is jaundice, a yellowing of the skin, again a symptom not a diagnosis. So a persistent wet cough which is a term that is descriptive and accurate and does not assume a reason is what I prefer to use and it is my job to find the cause. There may be many reasons, some more worrisome than others. Aspiration, gastroesophageal reflux and cystic fibrosis as examples I have discussed in other sections. One diagnosis is persistent bacterial bronchitis (PBB) a recently described entity of an otherwise well child with a persistent wet cough where standard investigations of the child are all negative and it responds to a prolonged (4 to 8 weeks) course of oral antibiotics. So it is really a diagnosis of exclusion ie what is left after excluding everything else.
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Suzanne Harvey
secretary
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