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Bronchiectasis Epidemiology and Risk Factors

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

The purpose of this review article was to understand the global trends in bronchiectasis, understand the risk factors and appreciate the role of comorbidities in bronchiectasis.

Recent Findings

The burden of bronchiectasis has been increasing globally over the last decade. Data from national registries suggest geographical variations in aetiology and prevalence, which has further led to the creation of national guidelines for the management of bronchiectasis. Comorbidities play an important role in the prognosis, with some playing a direct role in disease development and progression. Systemic and airway inflammation seems to be the main link between comorbidities and bronchiectasis. Various predictive scores have been developed to determine the prognosis of bronchiectasis. As there is a significant geographical variation in the aetiology, epidemiology, microbiology and severity of bronchiectasis, the appropriate prognostication score needs to be chosen and validated in the local population.

Summary

The geographical variation in the aetiology, pattern and distribution of bronchiectasis alludes to the need for developing clinical guidelines for the local population. As comorbidities have shown to affect the prognosis, personalised medicine treating bronchiectasis as well as the comorbidities, seems to be the way forward.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pulmonary, Sleep and Critical Care Medicine, Calcutta Medical Research Institute & Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700027, India

    Shyam Krishnan & Raja Dhar

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  1. Shyam Krishnan
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  2. Raja Dhar
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Correspondence to Raja Dhar.

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(BRICS is a validated simplified CT scoring system based on degree of bronchial dilatation and number of bronchopulmonary segments with emphysema, in patients with idiopathic and post infective bronchiectasis, with limited smoking history. It is used in adjunct to clinical parameters to predict the severity of post infective and idiopathic bronchiectasis.)

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Krishnan, S., Dhar, R. Bronchiectasis Epidemiology and Risk Factors. Curr Pulmonol Rep 12, 97–104 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13665-023-00317-w

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