A Clinical Profile of Chronic Bacterial Pneumonia*

Objective: To review the clinical presentation, radiology, microbiology, and response to therapy of patients with chronic bacterial pneumonia. Design: A retrospective analysis. Setting: An urban tertiary care medical center. Participants: One hundred fifteen patients with pulmonary and/or constitutional symptoms of at least 1 month's duration with 4,000 or more colony-forming units (CFUs) of a single bacterial species identified by quantitative culture obtained via fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Measurements: Charts were analyzed for presence or absence of any predisposing illness, symptoms at presentation, roentgenographic abnormalities, microbiologic results, findings at fiberoptic bronchoscopy, and results of therapeutic intervention. Results: Sixty-five percent of patients with chronic bacterial pneumonia had a predisposing disease, 35 percent were "normal." Cough, fatigue, dyspnea, and weight