BACKGROUND Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis is characterised by irreversibly dilated bronchi usually associated with chronic sputum production, bacterial colonisation of the lower respiratory tract, inflammation and frequent exacerbations. Irrespective of the underlying cause, this represents failure of the host defence to maintain sterility of the respiratory tract. OBJECTIVE To review th...

In bronchiectasis the morphological determinants of (marginal) fluctuations in pulmonary function tests are uncertain. The aim of the present study was to evaluate serial computed tomography (CT) changes in relation to pulmonary function trends in patients with bronchiectasis. The relationships between pulmonary function indices and CT scans in 48 adult patients with bronchiectasis were evaluat...

Patients with bronchiectasis suffer from sputum production, recurrent exacerbations, and progressive airway destruction. Erythromycin is effective in diffuse panbronchiolitis, another suppurative airway disorder, although its efficacy is unknown in idiopathic bronchiectasis. A double-blind placebo-controlled study was therefore conducted to evaluate the effects of 8-week administration of low d...

Beeley, J. M., Darke, C. S., Owen, G., and Cooper, R. D. (1974). Thorax, 29, 21-25. Serum zinc, bronchiectasis, and bronchial carcinoma. Serum zinc levels were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in 65 patients with proven bronchiectasis; the mean level was 93 jig/100 ml, while the levels in two groups of healthy control subjects were 88-6 and 92-7 j.g/100 ml respectively. The range...

The clinical presentation of noncystic fibrosis bronchiectasis may be complicated by concomitant conditions, including gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR). Increased acidic GOR is principally caused by gastro-oesophageal junction incompetence and may arise from lower oesophageal sphincter hypotension, including transient relaxations, hiatus hernia, and oesophageal dysmotility. Specific pathophysiol...

INTRODUCTION Williams-Campbell syndrome, also known as bronchomalacia, is a rare disorder characterized by a deficiency of cartilage in subsegmental bronchi, leading to distal airway collapse and bronchiectasis. There have been few reports about patients affected by saccular bronchiectasis, paracicatricial emphysema, and diminished cartilage. These are all characteristic of Williams-Campbell sy...

Diseases should be defined by what they are, not by what they are not. The way we classify and name things has a significant impact on our behaviour and on our perception of their importance. Here we argue that clinicians and researchers should stop using the term ‘non-cystic fibrosis’ bronchiectasis to describe this common and disabling disease. Diseases are classified by putting patients into...

The nose and paranasal sinuses are contiguous with the lower respiratory tract. Patients with bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis commonly have sinonasal disease, which is thought to have the same aetiology and pathophysiology as the chronic lung disease. Despite this, the conditions are rarely considered together and there is very little literature on the treatment of sinonasal disease in bronc...

The diagnosis, investigation and particularly management of bronchiectasis has been largely empirical and the subject of relatively few controlled clinical trials. There are no clear guidelines, although an Australian position statement has been published concerning bronchiectasis in children. The purposes of these guidelines were therefore threefold: (1) to identify relevant studies in non-cys...

We describe the long-term course of a patient with bronchiectasis. Sequential chest X-rays, symptoms, spirometry and blood gas analysis obtained during the observation period showed gradual progression. Conservative medical management was implemented in the treatment of described patient. Bronchiectasis is a disease characterised by irreversible dilation of airways, repeated respiratory infecti...