Clinical Characteristics of Bronchiectasis in 38 Children

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics of bronchiectasis in children and provide clues for early diagnosis and treatment of the disease.Methods The clinical records of 38 bronchiectasis patients(21 male,17 female;aged 4 months to 15 years old) were reviewed and analyzed the etiology,clinical characteristics,pulmonary function,imaging data and treatment of the disease.Results In the 38 bronchiectasis children,etiological factors included infection(27/38 cases,71.1%),immune deficiency(3/38 cases,7.9%),bronchial foreign body(2/38 cases,5.3%),congenital factors(2/38 cases,5.3%),pulmonary sequestration(1/38 cases,2.6%) and others(4/38 cases,10.5%).The clinical manifestations were chronic cough(38/38 cases,100%),sputum(30/38 cases,78.9%),and hemoptysis(18/38 cases,47.4%).The lung CT revealed cystic or cyst-like changes in 29 cases(76.3%),columnar change in 3 cases(7.9%),and both types of changes in 6 cases(15.8%).Early medical treatments for bronchiectasis in acute period proved effective in all the cases.Conclusions The leading cause of bronchiectasis is childhood lung infections,especially tuberculosis,measles and severe bacterial infections.Patients with common variable immunodeficiency are found to have high risks of developing bronchiectasis.Pulmonary function test is useful in assessing the severity of bronchiectasis in patients.Prevention is critical for children at high risks of bronchiectasis.The medical treatment should be performed in the acute period of bronchiectasis.High-resolution CT would be necessary for children with recurrent lung infections for the benefit of early diagnosis and treatment.