Abstract

Bronquiectasias en la infancia. Arch. Pediatr. Urug. [online]. 2003, vol.74, n.3, pp.166-175. ISSN 1688-1249.

Summary Bronchiectasia are permanent dilations of the segmentary and sub-segmentary airway. In most patients either single or recurrent necrotizing infections of the lung are the main cause of the initial damage to the tissue. The objective of this publication was to identify the causal entities, characterize the clinical, radiological and tommographic findings that enable the diagnosis. During the time period August 1987 and December 2001 the case histories of 687 patients with a diagnosis of bronchiectasia attending the "Dr. J. P. Garrahan" Paediatric Hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina, were reviewed. Acute, non-specific, lower respiratory infection was the most frequent cause (n=403) of bronchiectasia. Cystic fibrosis (n=110), and primary immunodeficiency (n=73) followed. Conclusions: the clinical signs and symptoms as well as the radiological and tommographic findings allowed bronchientasia to be diagnosed. In this series acute non-specific lower respiratory infection was found to be the most frequent cause of bronchiectasia. The age at presentation was very early. In this group of patients an important number of children presenting with extense and severe tissue damage whent on to develop severe lung disease with chronic respiratory insufficiency at early stages of life

Keywords : BRONCHIECTASIS-etiology; BRONCHIECTASIS-diagnosis.

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