Protracted bacterial bronchitis is a precursor for bronchiectasis in children: myth or maxim?

Using the pathobiological model, PBB, chronic suppurative lung disease (CSLD) and radiographically confirmed bronchiectasis probably represent different ends of a spectrum with similar underlying mechanisms of airway neutrophilia, endobronchial bacterial infection and impaired mucociliary clearance. Untreated it is likely some (but not all) children with PBB will progress to develop CSLD and some will ultimately develop bronchiectasis, initially reversible and subsequently irreversible if left to progress. There is a degree of overlap between each of the entities. Reproduced from [11] with permission from the publisher.