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Objective: Foreign body aspiration remains a serious health problem with a potential for severe consequences, and acute and chronic problems in children. It therefore demands immediate intervention. Rigid bronchoscopy has long been the method of choice for foreign body removal but is now being replaced by flexible bronchoscopy which offers reduced trauma and the ability to access distal bronchial regions. In the presented study we assessed the patients who underwent flexible bronchoscopy for foreign body removal in our clinic. Methods: We reviewed the records of 20 patients who underwent flexible bronchoscopy due to suspected foreign body aspiration and had a foreign body removed in our clinic. Patients were analyzed in terms of sociodemographic data, foreign bodies removed, method of foreign body removal, foreign body location and time to diagnosis. Results: Our study group included nine females and 11 males. The removed foreign body was organic in 19 of the 20 patients and inorganic in one patient. Hard organic food, such as hazelnuts, peanuts, seeds, almonds, and raw corn kernel were identified in 12 patients, a piece of fishbone in one patient and a piece of gelatin in another. The pieces of soft organic food identified were apple in one patient, egg in one patient, and boiled corn kernel in one patient and removed by suction. The foreign body was removed using forceps in nine patients, and a basket was used successfully in seven patients. Conclusion: Foreign bodies can be removed with minimal complication using flexible bronchoscopy, basket, and forceps in children.

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral disease caused by a novel coronavirus that can lead to severe acute respiratory failure. Recent studies have shown that aggravating factors in the etiology of COVID-19 disease include genetic defects and autoantibodies against type 1 interferon. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an immobile aerobic bacillus that causes tuberculosis disease. SARS-CoV-2 infection and immunosuppressive drugs may temporarily inhibit immunologic system, then may lead to active tuberculosis by reactivation or infection of M. tuberculosis. We aimed to show that there is a relationship between covid-19 infection and an increase in the number of tuberculosis patients. Eight patients diagnosed with tuberculosis in the Pediatric Pulmonology and Pediatric Infectious Diseases Clinics of Necmettin Erbakan University, Meram Medical Faculty between March 2020 and May 2021 were enrolled in this study. The presence of COVID-19 infection was confirmed by COVID-19 antibody test and patient’s detailed medical history. The patient with negative antibody test was also included in the study if other family members confirmed for COVID-19 infection by RT-PCR. We evaluated demographic data, laboratory findings, imaging tests and pathology results of all patients. The remarkable increase in the number of tuberculosis activation in the recent year suggests the role of COVID-19 infection. The pathologic structure of the virus may be responsible of the increase, although the mechanism is not fully understood. Further research should be done on this topic.

Chronic cough is one of the most common complaints of childhood to consult a doctor. There are many causes such as respiratory tract infections, gastroesophageal reflux, persistent bacterial bronchitis, asthma, cystic fibrosis, congenital malformations, and foreign body aspiration in children under the age of five. However, neither transient hypogammaglobulinemia of infancy (THI) among the causes of chronic cough, nor chronic cough among the application complaints of THI are not questioned. In this study, we aimed to draw attention to the role of THI in the etiology of chronic cough under the age of five. Our study included 55 pediatric patients under the age of five who applied to the pediatric pulmonary diseases outpatient clinic in between January 2015 and December 2020 with the complaint of chronic cough, who were excluded from other causes of chronic cough in etiology, and who met the criteria for THI according to the European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID). Demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics and follow-ups of these patients were reviewed retrospectively. In our study, the mean age of 55 patients at admission was 21.73 ± 11.50 months (median age: 18 months), and the mean age of IgG recovery was 38.65 ± 16.81 months. The mean recovery time was 16.93 ± 12.85 months. Of the patients, 22.4% had a history of consanguinity, 23.4% had prematurity, and 18.2% had a frequent sickness in siblings. The most common complaint accompanying chronic cough in patients was frequent respiratory tract infection, 16.3%. Along with IgG, 26.4% of the patients had low IgA and 31.5% had low IgM in laboratory testing. In antibody responses, isohemagglutinin, anti-tetanus, anti-pneumococcal, anti-HBs vaccine responses were found to be positive in 90.6%, 63.9%, 66.7% and 97.7% of the cases, respectively. 72.7% of the patients received inhaler treatment, 45.5% received antibiotic prophylaxis, and 2.2% received intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) treatment. After the IgG value of the patients returned to normal, it was observed that 86.3% of the patients’ cough complaint have disappeared. Transient hypogammaglobulinemia of infancy mostly presents with recurrent lower and upper respiratory tract infections. The most common complaint is cough. It is not questioned whether the cough is chronic or not. In this study, we aimed to investigate the follow-up and prognosis of patients under the age of five who had a chronic cough complaint, when other causes of cough were ruled out and THI was detected. In the study, when the IgG levels of the patients return to normal, the cough complaints disappear to a large extent, showing that THI may also be among the causes of chronic cough.