Antibiotic therapy of respiratory infections in diffuse panbronchiolitis was evaluated. Our study consisted of 126 infections in 64 patients (mean age 54.9 years old, 39 males and 25 females). The causative organisms in the respiratory infections were as follows: 1) Haemophilus influenzae (H), 33 cases (26%) (group I), 2) mixed infections of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P) and either H or Streptococcus pneumoniae (S); 10 cases (8%) (group II), 3) P without prior antibiotic therapy; 22cases (18%) (group III), 4) P with prior antibiotic therapy; 61 cases (48%) (group IV).
Efficacy of antibiotic therapy was noted in 98% of group I, 90% of group II, 59.4% of group III and 49.2% of group IV.
Average FEV1% or %VC prior to the development of the respiratoty infections were 56.7% or 87.9% in group I, 48.4% or 72.4% in group II, 51.9% or 79.7% in group III, 45.4% or 72.1% in group IV, respectively. Our study indicates that when P. Infections do not respond to antibiotic therapy, the possibility of mixed infections of P and either H or S should be considered, because the respiratory infections may improve considerable with the treatment of H or S.
