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. 2016 Sep;12(3):222–235. doi: 10.1183/20734735.007516

Table 1.

Selected causes of bronchiectasis with their reported prevalence

Aetiology of bronchiectasis Proportion of adult patients affected Typical clinical features
Idiopathic 20–60% Variable presentation
Post-infective 20–40% History of severe infection in the affected lobe(s) or historical infection#
Post-TB <2% in developed countries
Dominant cause in Eastern Europe, Asia and possibly other regions
History of TB with cavitation and lung damage
ABPA 1–10% History of asthma, sputum plugs, wheezing, response to corticosteroids and demonstration of specific allergy to Aspergillus
Central bronchiectasis
CTD 1–10% Evidence of systemic CTD (most frequently rheumatoid arthritis)
Immunodeficiency <5% May be evidence of nonpulmonary infections or unusual microorganisms
CF <1% in “non-CF” adult clinics Upper lobe bronchiectasis, extrapulmonary features, male infertility, malabsorption
Isolation of P. aeruginosa, S. aureus or NTM
PCD <2% but may be underestimated due to limited testing Middle or lower lobe disease, history of otitis media and rhinosinusitis, early age of onset
Yellow nail syndrome <1% Yellow nails, pleural effusion
Tracheobronchomegaly <1% Characteristic radiological appearance of tracheal dilatation and central bronchiectasis
NTM infection 2–50% Middle lobe nodular bronchiectatic disease
More common in females
May be scoliosis, pectus excavatum and low BMI
HIV infection <1% No characteristic phenotype
Haematological malignancy <1% Frequent respiratory tract infections
AATD <1% Paraseptal emphysema, airflow obstruction
Inhaled foreign body <1% Single lobe disease
COPD 2–60% Mild bilateral lower lobe disease with empysema and history of cigarette smoking
Asthma 1–50% Not well described
Gastro-oesophageal reflux or aspiration N/A Bilateral lower lobe or isolated right lower lobe bronchiectasis
Not clearly identified as an aetiology

BMI: body mass index; N/A: not available. #: reverse causation and recall bias make these estimates unreliable; : whether these are true causes of bronchiectasis is debated. Prevalence rate data were extracted from [1, 12, 15–19].