How to manage protracted bacterial bronchitis

Chronic wet cough or dry cough in children – an important difference in your history taking. Protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB) is a leading cause of chronic wet cough in children. Current standard treatment is 2 weeks of antibiotics, but the optimal duration of therapy is unknown. Ruffles TJC et al (Lancet Respir Med 2021;9:1121–29) have described the first randomised controlled trial to assess the duration of antibiotic treatment in children with chronic wet cough and suspected PBB. The editorial by Gilchrist and Carroll [The Lancet Respiratory Medicine 2021;9:1078–1079) provides an interesting commentary about the importance of the study. They define PBB as a chronic endobronchial infection causing a persistent, troublesome wet cough. Ruffles TJC et al hypothesised that 4 weeks of amoxicillin–clavulanate is superior to 2 weeks for improving clinical outcomes in a parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised controlled trial. Children aged 2 months to 19 years with chronic (>4...

from Archives of Disease in Childhood current issue https://ift.tt/3peYayC