Table 1. Baseline characteristics of bronchiectasis patients.
| Parameter | Bronchiectasis (n=129) |
|---|---|
| Anthropometry | |
| Age (years) | 44.7±13.9 |
| Females (%) | 83 (64.3) |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 19.8 [3.6] |
| Never-smokers (%) | 115 (89.1) |
| Disease severity | |
| Bronchiectasis severity index | 6 [6] |
| Past history | |
| Duration of symptoms (years) | 10 [16] |
| No. of exacerbations in previous 2 years | 4 [3] |
| HRCT findings | |
| No. of bronchiectatic lobes | 4 [2] |
| HRCT total score | 7 [5] |
| Baseline sputum bacteriology (%) | |
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa | 43 (33.3) |
| Haemophilus influenzae | 13 (10.1) |
| Other pathogenic bacteria* | 24 (18.6) |
| Normal flora | 50 (38.8) |
| Medications ever used within 6 months (%) | |
| Theophylline# | 75 (58.1) |
| Inhaled corticosteroids + β2-agonists | 23 (17.8) |
| Mucolytics## | 98 (76.0) |
| Macrolides | 52 (40.3) |
| Etiology** (%) | |
| Post-infectious | 37 (28.7) |
| Immunodeficiency | 12 (9.3) |
| Miscellaneous known etiologies | 18 (14.0) |
| Idiopathic | 65 (50.4) |
Numerical data were shown as mean ± standard deviation or median [interquartile range] as appropriate. Categorical variables were presented as number (%). Hypertension was documented in three patients. None of the patients had coronary heart disease. *, other pathogenic bacteria included Staphylococcus aureus (n=3, 2.2%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=3, 2.2%), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (n=2, 1.5%), Escherichia coli (n=1, 0.7%), Sphingomonas paucimobilis (n=1, 0.7%), Klebsiella ozaenae (n=1, 0.7%), Alcaligenes faecalis subsp faecalis (n=1, 0.7%), Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes (n=1, 0.7%) and Serratia marcescens (n=1, 0.7%); #, theophylline has been conventionally prescribed in respiratory out-patient clinics; ##, mucolytics included ambroxol, carbocisteine, N-acetylcysteine and serra-peptidase; **, dual etiologies existed in some individuals, and therefore the percentage added up to 100% or greater. Miscellaneous etiologies included rheumatoid arthritis, lung malformation, lung sequestration, yellow nail syndrome, Young’s syndrome and eosinophilic bronchiolitis.