pulmonary exacerbation
Also written as: PE — pulmonary exacerbation
An acute worsening of respiratory symptoms and lung function beyond a patient's normal day-to-day variation, requiring a change in therapy.
Full Definition
A pulmonary exacerbation (PE) is a clinically defined episode of acute deterioration in respiratory status—including increased cough, sputum production, dyspnea, and decline in FEV1—that requires escalation of treatment, often with systemic antibiotics or corticosteroids and sometimes hospitalization. In the context of pediatric pulmonology the term is most frequently used for cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis. Editors should note that 'exacerbation' does not mean the same as 'episode,' 'infection,' or 'flare,' although these terms are sometimes used loosely in patient-facing materials. When abbreviated PE in a manuscript, editors must verify this does not conflict with 'pulmonary embolism,' which shares the same initialism.
Usage
Usage note: The abbreviation PE is ambiguous; verify context makes clear whether it refers to 'pulmonary exacerbation' or 'pulmonary embolism.' Define at first use.
In Context
- "The patient was admitted for intravenous antibiotic therapy following a pulmonary exacerbation that did not respond to oral treatment." — Admission note editing
- "The editor flagged the abbreviation 'PE' as potentially ambiguous and recommended spelling out 'pulmonary exacerbation' on each use in this cardiology-pulmonology joint report." — Interdepartmental clinical report editing