Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40325918›Full record

ArticlePediatric pulmonology2025

Long-Term Pulmonary Sequelae 5-14 Years After Protracted Bacterial Bronchitis in Early Childhood.

Jan Hermann, Karen Brückner, Cordula Koerner-Rettberg, Stefanie Dillenhöfer, Folke Brinkmann, Christoph Maier, Christoph M Heyer, Anne Schlegtendal

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In one paragraph

Article in Pediatric pulmonology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Jan HermannDepartment of Paediatric Pneumology, University Children's Hospital, Ruhr-University, Bochum, Bochum, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3081-6786
Karen BrücknerDepartment of Paediatric Pneumology, University Children's Hospital, Ruhr-University, Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Cordula Koerner-RettbergDepartment of Paediatric Pneumology, University Children's Hospital, Ruhr-University, Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Stefanie DillenhöferDepartment of Paediatric Pneumology, University Children's Hospital, Ruhr-University, Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Folke BrinkmannSection for Paediatric Pneumology and Allergology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Airway Research Center North (ARCN) of the German Center of Lung Research (DZL), Lübeck, Germany.
Christoph MaierUniversity Children's Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Christoph M HeyerUniversity Children's Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Anne SchlegtendalDepartment of Paediatric Pneumology, University Children's Hospital, Katholisches Klinikum Bochum, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6737-3624

Funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere is little information about long-term changes in pulmonary function tests (PFTs) many years after protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB), the most common cause of chronic wet cough in early childhood.

methodsOf 200 consecutively recruited children with a previously proven diagnosis of PBB 62 (12.2 years, female 48%) were interviewed after 7.7 (5.4-14.7) years about their previous and current symptoms and pulmonary function tests (PFTs: spirometry, body plethysmography, nitrogen multi-breath washout, exhaled nitric oxide and nasal nitric oxide) were performed. Children with persistent symptoms were offered lung imaging.

results11 (17.7%) patients suffered from chronic or recurring wet cough years after their first PBB episode. 15 (24.19%) had at least one abnormal spirometry parameter. FEV1 was abnormal in eight of 62 (12.9%), LCI 2.5% in seven of 56 (12.5%), FVC in 12 of 62 (19.35%) and FEV1/FVC in five of 62 (8.06%) cases. PFT did not differ between children with and without wet cough. Lung MRI/CT demonstrate in four of nine cases abnormalities of the bronchial walls, including one with incipient bronchiectasis.

conclusionAfter PBB in early childhood, a significant proportion of children suffer from respiratory symptoms many years later, some have an objectively reduced lung function and structural changes of the bronchial wall despite adequate initial therapy. Wet cough alone seems not to be a sensitive clinical predictor. Due to the retrospective study design, we cannot proof any causal relationship. However, to detect late bronchopulmonary sequelae, continuous follow-up of these children should become mandatory.

Indexed as

Bacterial InfectionsBronchitisCoughLungAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolFemaleFollow-Up StudiesForced Expiratory VolumeHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleRespiratory Function TestsSpirometryTomography, X-Ray Computedasthmabronchiectasisbronchoscopychildrenchronic wet coughLCIlung functionnitrogen multiple‐breath washoutpbb

Identifiers

PMID40325918
PMCPMC12053102

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.