DiMango, Angela

Abstract Rationale Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are prevalent among patients with bronchiectasis. However, the long-term natural history of patients with NTM and bronchiectasis is not well described. Objectives To assess the impact of NTM on 5-year clinical outcomes and mortality in patients with bronchiectasis. Methods Patients in the Bronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry with ⩾5 years of follow-up were eligible. Data were collected for all-cause mortality, lung function, exacerbations, hospitalizations, and disease severity. Outcomes were compared between patients with and without NTM at baseline. Mortality was assessed using Cox proportional hazards models and the log-rank test. Measurements and Main Results In total, 2,634 patients were included: 1,549 (58.8%) with and 1,085 (41.2%) without NTM at baseline. All-cause mortality (95% confidence interval) at Year 5 was 12.1% (10.5%, 13.7%) overall, 12.6% (10.5%, 14.8%) in patients with NTM, and 11.5% (9.0%, 13.9%) in patients without NTM. Independent predictors of 5-year mortality were baseline FEV1 percent predicted, age, hospitalization within 2 years before baseline, body mass index, and sex (all P < 0.01). The probabilities of acquiring NTM or Pseudomonas aeruginosa were approximately 4% and 3% per year, respectively. Spirometry, exacerbations, and hospitalizations were similar, regardless of NTM status, except that annual exacerbations were lower in patients with NTM (P < 0.05). Conclusions Outcomes, including exacerbations, hospitalizations, rate of loss of lung function, and mortality rate, were similar across 5 years in patients with bronchiectasis with or without NTM.

Abstract Rationale Staphylococcus aureus is commonly cultured from the sputum of patients with bronchiectasis; however, little is known about the prevalence of the organism in these patients, the characteristics of patients who have grown the organism, or its implications. Objectives Determine the relationship between S. aureus and pulmonary function, frequency of exacerbations, and frequency of hospitalization in patients with bronchiectasis Methods The Bronchiectasis Research Registry is a database of adults with non–cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis identified from 13 sites within the United States. Baseline and follow-up demographic, spirometric, microbiologic, and therapeutic data were entered into a central web-based database. Patients were grouped into three cohorts based on their previous respiratory cultures at the time of entry into the Registry: 1) no prior S. aureus or glucose-nonfermenting gram-negative bacilli (NF-GNB) (Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas, or Burkholderia spp.); 2) prior S. aureus at least once; or 3) no prior S. aureus but prior NF-GNB at least once. The association between S. aureus isolation and pulmonary function and frequency of exacerbations and hospital admissions was assessed, both at baseline and after 1 year of follow-up. Results S. aureus was cultured from 94 of 830 patients (11.3%) included in the analysis. Patients who had grown S. aureus before entry into the Registry had a frequency of prior exacerbations and baseline pulmonary function that was between that of patients who had grown NF-GNB and those who had grown neither NF-GNB or S. aureus. Similarly, at the first follow-up visit after study entry, patients who had grown S. aureus had a frequency of exacerbations and hospitalizations that was between those of patients who had grown NF-GNB and those who had grown neither NF-GNB nor S. aureus. However, in multivariate analysis, S. aureus was not associated with pulmonary function, frequency of exacerbation, or hospital admissions. There were no significant differences in patient characteristics or outcomes between patients who had methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Conclusions Staphylococcus aureus does not appear to be an independent risk factor for severe disease in patients with bronchiectasis enrolled in the Bronchiectasis Research Registry.