Is middle lobe syndrome a manifestation of asthma?

The natural history of middle lobe syndrome (MLS) in children remains incompletely understood. A study of 47 patients including 32 with a mean follow-up of five years showed that adverse prognostic factors were a severe radiological score at presentation and a long time interval between the first episode and the first evaluation. The predictive value of bronchial lesions at presentation could not be evaluated because bronchoscopy was not done routinely. A full recovery was achieved in 40% of patients 50% of the patients with asthma, who contributed 60% of the study group, suggesting that asthma may be the leading cause of MLS. Patients with MLS should be treated early and aggressively.