Prevalence of Bronchiectasis in Patients Diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

Background: Bronchiectasis is defined as an abnormal dilatation of the bronchi, usually as a result of chronic airway inflammation and/or infection. The prevalence of bronchiectasis in patients with COPD is high and has been recognized as a common comorbidity in COPD patients contributing to severity of symptoms and COPD progression. Early identification and timely intervention will prevent complications and decrease morbidity and the rate of hospital admissions. Objective: The objective of the present study was to determine the frequency of bronchiectasis in patients with diagnosed COPD. Methodology: It was a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted at the Department of Pulmonology, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar from 23 June 2019 to 23 Dec 2019. A total of 151 patients diagnosed with COPD (as described in the operational definition) presenting to the Pulmonology Unit at Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar were included. Demographic characteristics and associated common risk factors for bronchiectasis like duration of COPD, patient’s age, sex, literacy rate, the severity of COPD, cigarette smoking, indoor air pollution, and BMI were recorded. Each patient underwent CT thorax (HRCT) to assess for the presence of bronchiectasis. Results: In this study, we included 151 patients with a mean age of 55 years. 64.2% were female patients and 35.76% were male patients. Bronchiectasis was present in 41%(64 patients) of the study population. 30.5% were smokers while 69.5% were nonsmokers. 43% of patients had comorbidities ( DM, HTN) while 41% had no comorbidities. 35% of patients had normal BMI while 43% were overweight. Moreover, 86% of our patients were illiterate and 62.9% were housewives. Almost 50% of patients had COPD for more than 10 years. Conclusion: Our study concludes that bronchiectasis was present in 41% of COPD patients. The presence of bronchiectasis is more affected by the duration of COPD, age, gender, literacy rate, and occupation of patients and less affected by the severity of COPD, BMI, comorbidities, or smoking habits of patients.  Keywords: COPD; Bronchiectasis; Peshawar