"There is a risk of irreversible long-term damage"
The consequences of bronchitis in infancy can be serious. This is shown in a study by the Bochum University Children's Hospital.
The consequences of bronchitis in infancy can be serious. This is shown in a study by the Bochum University Children's Hospital.
A phlegmy cough over a period of more than four weeks? Nothing unusual in children, you would think. And nothing to worry about? But it is, says Dr. Anne Schlegtendal, senior physician at Bochum University Children's Hospital. Infants who fall ill with so-called protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB) should be treated accordingly. “If they are not given antibiotics for at least two weeks, there is a risk of long-term damage - in the worst case, irreversible chronic lung damage.” The Bochum team came to this conclusion through a follow-up study of children who had been hospitalized in infancy due to respiratory infections. The study was published in the journal Pediatric Pulmonology on April 21, 2025.
Abnormal lung function years later
“We retrospectively identified a total of 200 children with PBB and invited 63 of them to the children's hospital five to 14 years later for a re-examination and a lung function test,” reports Anne Schlegtendal. “Among them were children who still have a persistent cough today.” It was not only the children who had not been treated properly who were affected: The study was able to prove that long-term damage can occur even despite antibiotic therapy. “A significant proportion of children who had PBB in infancy later have abnormal lung function,” warns the pediatric pneumologist. “Unfortunately, PBB is underdiagnosed, there is still no guideline for treatment in Germany and so far no recommendation that affected children receive regular follow-up examinations.”
The researchers want to change this. “Our aim is to draw more attention to this disease in order to improve children's and young people's health.” The team has therefore applied to the Federal Joint Committee's Innovation Fund to improve the care of statutory health insurance patients with the idea of a digital tool in pediatric practices. “Our idea is to use a digital traffic light system to identify and treat children with chronic coughs and risk factors for late effects at an earlier stage,” explains Anne Schlegtendal. “Red would then mean: to the clinic immediately.”
Original publication
Jan Hermann, Karen Brückner, Cordula Koerner‐Rettberg, Stefanie Dillenhöfer, Folke Brinkmann, Christoph Maier, Christoph M. Heyer, Anne Schlegtendal: Long‐Term Pulmonary Sequelae 5–14 Years After Protracted Bacterial Bronchitis in Early Childhood, in: Pediatric Pulmonology, 2025, DOI: 10.1002/ppul.71111
Press contact
Dr. Anne Schlegtendal
Universitätskinderklinik Bochum
St. Josef Hospital
Klinikum der Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Tel.: +49 234 509 2631
E-Mail: anne.schlegtendalklinikum-bochum "«@&.de