Evaluating the Prevalence and Incidence of Bronchiectasis and Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in South Korea Using the Nationwide Population Data.

Da-In Park,Sungchan Kang,Seunghye Choi

doi:10.3390/ijerph18179029

Abstract

Although the prevalence and incidence of bronchiectasis are rising worldwide, basic epidemiologic data have not been reported in Korea. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate epidemiological characteristics of bronchiectasis and NTM (nontuberculous mycobacteria) pulmonary diseases in Korea using the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC) data. The relative risks of prevalence and incidence after adjusting for demographic characteristics were evaluated by multivariate Poisson regression. The result of this study showed the prevalence and incidence rates of bronchiectasis and NTM to be epidemiologically similar to each other with a few slight differences, while the prevalence rate of bronchiectasis was not significantly different by gender, and its incidence rate was significantly lower in women than in men. Both the prevalence and incidence of NTM were significantly higher in women than in men. Both the prevalence and incidence rates of bronchiectasis and NTM were significantly lower in the age group below 40–49 years, and significantly higher in the age groups thereafter. As there were gender differences of bronchiectasis and NTM, gender-sensitive risk management should be available. In addition, since both bronchiectasis and NTM increase in prevalence and incidence after the age of 40–49, early detection and intervention strategies targeting the appropriate age group are needed.

Highlights

This study investigated the prevalence and associated factors of bronchiectasis, it only analyzed patient data collected at one singular medical center, which limits generalizability to the whole
The diagnosis of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and bronchiectasis was defined based on the Korean Standard Classification of Causes of Disease (KCD-8), which was modified from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) [18]
The incidence rate was higher in females (Figure 2C)

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Bronchiectasis, a chronic progressive and irreversible respiratory condition of diverse etiology, is characterized by structurally abnormal bronchial dilation, persistent airway infection, and recurrent exacerbations [1]. Its prevalence continues to increase around the globe, and is placing a significant burden on individuals and health care systems. The clinical symptoms of bronchiectasis include chronic cough, sputum production, hemoptysis, and recurrent pulmonary exacerbations, and ineffective management of the condition may lead to airway obstruction and breathing difficulties [2]. Symptoms may vary depending on the severity of bronchial dilation, those who are affected have difficulties excreting secretions from the lower airways, which further leads to increased chance of inflammation and infection caused by bacterial overgrowth

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Methods

Discussion

Conclusion