A cross-sectional study on clinical, demographic, microbiological, and radiological profile of bronchiectasis patients attending a tertiary care teaching center

Background Bronchiectasis is a chronic pulmonary disease characterized by progressive and irreversible bronchial dilatation. The present study aimed to assess the clinical, demographic, microbiological, and radiological features of patients with bronchiectasis. Methods The study population included 60 subjects with bronchiectasis diagnosed by HRCT, who attended the Department of Respiratory Medicine a tertiary care teaching center. A single examiner examined all the 60 participants. Pulmonary function assessment was done on all the subjects on a spirometer, and early-morning sputum samples were taken for culture and sensitivity. Descriptive analysis was carried out by mean and standard deviation for quantitative variables, frequency, and proportion for categorical variables. Categorical outcomes were compared between study groups using the chi-square test. P value Result The majority of the participants were males (62%). The most common sign observed was crepitations (75%). Pseudomonas aeruginosa (36%) was the primary pathogen isolated from sputum, followed by Klebsiella pneumonia (20%). Drug resistance was highest for ampicillin (56%), and imipenem (100%) was the most sensitive drug. Conclusion Bronchiectasis is a heterogeneous entity with varied etiologies and multifarious clinic-radiological patterns. The information on etiology and the causative microorganism and antibiotic sensitivity and resistance aids in providing early treatment and thereby improving the lung function of affected individuals.