Being Underweight Increases the Risk of Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis in the Young Population: A Nationwide Population-Based Study

Although body mass index (BMI) is a potential risk factor for bronchiectasis in young adults, the association between BMI and incident bronchiectasis has not been well elucidated. This study included 6,329,838 individuals aged 20–40 years from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database 2009–2012 who were followed up until the date of the diagnosis of bronchiectasis, death, or 31 December 2018. We evaluated the incidence and risk of bronchiectasis according to the BMI category. The incidence rate of bronchiectasis increased as BMI decreased in a dose-dependent manner (p for trend <0.01). In multivariable Cox regression analysis, being underweight was an independent risk factor for the development of bronchiectasis, with a hazard ratio of 1.24 (95% confidence interval, 1.19–1.30) compared to being normal weight. In subgroup analysis, the effect of being underweight on the development of bronchiectasis was more evident in males and older individuals (30–40 years) than females and younger individuals (20–29 years), respectively (p for interaction <0.01 for both). These results remained significant in subgroup analysis in which subjects with comorbidities related to being underweight were excluded. Being underweight may be a novel risk factor for the development of bronchiectasis in young adults.