Emphysema is an independent risk factor for 5-year mortality in patients with bronchiectasis.

IntroductionBronchiectasis is a common disabling respiratory disease in China. However, the literatures that focused on the long-term prognosis and the risk factors for mortality are limited. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to identify risk factors for 5-year mortality in patients with bronchiectasis. MethodsA retrospective study was conducted. Patients who were newly diagnosed with bronchiectasis by thoracic conventional CT scans from January 2003 to March 2008 were assessed. Baseline characteristics, symptoms, radiographic extent, pulmonary function tests data and comorbidities were recorded through chart review. The vital status of the patients was obtained by telephone contact and record of hospital admission. Multivariate cox regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for 5-year mortality. ResultsEighty-nine patients newly diagnosed with bronchiectasis were included in our cohort. The mean age of the cohort was 55.2916.15 and 49.4% of the patients were female. At the end of the study, 12 patients (13.5%) died and the mean survival time was 57.05 +/- 1.09 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that long-term mortality was significantly associated with emphysema (HR, 5.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35-23.46; P=0.02) and radiographic extent (HR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.02-2.58; P=0.04). ConclusionThe main finding of our study was that emphysema might be a risk factor for mortality in patients with bronchiectasis.