Prevalence and Burden of Bronchiectasis in Tuberculous Patients

Bronchiectasis was described in the early 19th century by Laennec. Bronchiectasis is a chronic condition characterized by permanent and irreversible dilatation of the bronchial airways and impairment of mucociliary transport mechanism due to repeated infection and inflammation leading to colonization of organism and pooling of the mucus in the bronchial tree. The prevalence of bronchiectasis is age-related and occurs in every age group and in the pre-antibiotic era . it most often began in childhood. Recent evidence shows that bronchiectasis disproportionately affects women and older individuals and will be contributing to increase in healthcare burden.\[3\] International data show an increase in the prevalence of bronchiectasis over recent years.