Geographic variation in the aetiology, epidemiology and microbiology of bronchiectasis

Bronchiectasis is a disease associated with chronic progressive and irreversible dilatation of the bronchi and is characterised by chronic infection and associated inflammation. The prevalence of bronchiectasis is age-related and there is some geographical variation in incidence, prevalence and clinical features. Most bronchiectasis is reported to be idiopathic however post-infectious aetiologies dominate across Asia especially secondary to tuberculosis. Most focus to date has been on the study of airway bacteria, both as colonisers and causes of exacerbations. Modern molecular technologies including next generation sequencing (NGS) have become invaluable tools to identify microorganisms directly from sputum and which are difficult to culture using traditional agar based methods. These have provided important insight into our understanding of emerging pathogens in the airways of people with bronchiectasis and the geographical differences that occur. The contribution of the lung microbiome, its ethnic variation, and subsequent roles in disease progression and response to therapy across geographic regions warrant further investigation. This review summarises the known geographical differences in the aetiology, epidemiology and microbiology of bronchiectasis. Further, we highlight the opportunities offered by emerging molecular technologies such as -omics to further dissect out important ethnic differences in the prognosis and management of bronchiectasis.NMRC (Natl Medical Research Council, S’pore)MOH (Min. of Health, S’pore)Published versio

Bronchiectasis and asthma: Data from the European Bronchiectasis Registry (EMBARC)

\ua9 2024 The AuthorsBackground: Asthma is commonly reported in patients with a diagnosis of bronchiectasis. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether patients with bronchiectasis and asthma (BE+A) had a different clinical phenotype and different outcomes compared with patients with bronchiectasis without concomitant asthma. Methods: A prospective observational pan-European registry (European Multicentre Bronchiectasis Audit and Research Collaboration) enrolled patients across 28 countries. Adult patients with computed tomography–confirmed bronchiectasis were reviewed at baseline and annual follow-up visits using an electronic case report form. Asthma was diagnosed by the local investigator. Follow-up data were used to explore differences in exacerbation frequency between groups using a negative binomial regression model. Survival analysis used Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: Of 16,963 patients with bronchiectasis included for analysis, 5,267 (31.0%) had investigator-reported asthma. Patients with BE+A were younger, were more likely to be female and never smokers, and had a higher body mass index than patients with bronchiectasis without asthma. BE+A was associated with a higher prevalence of rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps as well as eosinophilia and Aspergillus sensitization. BE+A had similar microbiology but significantly lower severity of disease using the bronchiectasis severity index. Patients with BE+A were at increased risk of exacerbation after adjustment for disease severity and multiple confounders. Inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) use was associated with reduced mortality in patients with BE+A (adjusted hazard ratio 0.78, 95% CI 0.63-0.95) and reduced risk of hospitalization (rate ratio 0.67, 95% CI 0.67-0.86) compared with control subjects without asthma and not receiving ICSs. Conclusions: BE+A was common and was associated with an increased risk of exacerbations and improved outcomes with ICS use. Unexpectedly we identified significantly lower mortality in patients with BE+A

Symptoms, risk of future exacerbations, and response to long-term macrolide treatment in bronchiectasis: an observational study

\ua9 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licenseBackground: Previous studies have suggested that daily symptoms are a marker of bronchiectasis disease activity and could therefore identify patients at increased risk of exacerbation. However, international bronchiectasis guidelines recommend long-term macrolide treatment only in patients with three or more exacerbations per year. We aimed to investigate if symptoms independently predict future exacerbations and therefore identify additional responders to long-term macrolide treatment. Methods: We used data from the EMBARC registry, a multicentre international bronchiectasis database. Baseline symptoms were evaluated with the quality-of-life bronchiectasis questionnaire respiratory symptoms score (QoL-B-RSS), followed-up for at least 1 year, and were related to the future risk of exacerbations. We subsequently conducted a post-hoc pooled analysis of three randomised controlled trials of macrolides (ie, BLESS, BAT, and EMBRACE) in 341 participants with bronchiectasis to determine if baseline symptoms were associated with response to long-term macrolide treatment, using a negative binomial regression model. Findings: 9466 patients from the 19 324 patients included in the EMBARC registry had available QoL-B-RSS assessment at baseline and 1-year follow-up. The median age was 68 years (IQR 58–74), 5763 (60\ub79%) were female, and 3703 (39\ub71%) were male. The median Bronchiectasis Severity Index score was 7 (4–10) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was present in the sputum of 2041 (21\ub76%) patients within 12-months of baseline. Previous exacerbations (rate ratio (RR) for every additional exacerbation 1\ub711, 95% CI 1\ub710–1\ub712; p<0\ub70001) and symptoms (RR for every 10 points lower QoL-B-RSS 1\ub710, 1\ub709–1\ub711; p<0\ub70001) were identified as independent risk factors for future exacerbations. The number of exacerbations during 1-year of follow-up was similar between patients with three or more exacerbations at baseline and average symptom scores (QoL-B-RSS 60–70; RR 1\ub758, 95% CI 1\ub748–1\ub769) and the group with no previous exacerbations but high symptom scores (RR 1\ub755, 1\ub741–1\ub770). The same pattern was observed in the post-hoc analysis of randomised controlled trials, both in the macrolide and placebo groups. The number-needed-to-treat to prevent exacerbations with long-term macrolide therapy was similar for patients selected based on frequent exacerbations (1\ub745, 95% CI 1\ub708–2\ub724) and in those with few previous exacerbations, but high symptom scores 1\ub743 (1\ub706–2\ub718). Interpretation: Our results suggest that symptoms are an independent risk factor for future exacerbations in bronchiectasis. Patients who are highly symptomatic derive a similar benefit from macrolide treatment as patients with a high baseline exacerbation frequency. Funding: EU, European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and the Associations Innovative Medicines Initiative Inhaled Antibiotics in Bronchiectasis and Cystic Fibrosis Consortium, European Respiratory Society

Continuous alternating inhaled antibiotic therapy in CF: A single center retrospective analysis

The efficacy of inhaled antibiotics to treat chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa pulmonary infection in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) has been well established. Few data are available on the value of continuous alternating inhaled antibiotic therapy (CAIT), a strategy increasingly used in the management of CF.publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Continuous alternating inhaled antibiotic therapy in CF: A single center retrospective analysis journaltitle: Journal of Cystic Fibrosis articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcf.2016.09.002 content_type: article copyright: © 2016 European Cystic Fibrosis Society. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.status: publishe