Mortality and comorbidities in patients with bronchiectasis over a 3-year follow-up

Abstract

To identify the risk factors associated with all-cause mortality in patients with noncystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB). This prospective cohort study included 120 adult patients with NCFB, who were regularly treated at a specialized outpatient clinic of a university hospital between January 2017 and June 2020. All patients were diagnosed using high-resolution computed tomography. Demographic and clinical data, pulmonary function tests, and the Euro-quality-of-life 5-domain 3-level questionnaire were analyzed. The factors associated with death were determined using the Cox proportional hazards model. The all-cause mortality rate at 41 months was 10.8%. Adjusted multivariate analysis showed that the main contributing predictors for mortality were female sex, smoking, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emergency visits, use of antibiotics due to exacerbation, secretion color change, exacerbation, predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second, predicted forced vital capacity, lack of respiratory physiotherapy, absence of vaccination against pneumococci, and mobility domain. Multiple factors contribute to unfavorable outcomes in patients with NCFB, and early recognition of these factors may improve care management.