Clinical, Radiological, and Lung Function Characteristics of Post-tuberculosis Bronchiectasis: An Experience From a Tertiary Care Center in India

Introduction Among chronic respiratory diseases, bronchiectasis is one of the important causes of mortality and morbidity in developing countries. Objective This study aimed to assess the clinical, radiological, microbiological, and pulmonary function profiles of adult patients with post-tubercular bronchiectasis. Methods We enrolled 138 patients with bronchiectasis confirmed by high-resolution CT scans from July 2017 to August 2018. Results A total of 138 patients with bronchiectasis were enrolled. The data from 132 patients were analyzed; six patients were excluded from the study. The mean age of post-TB bronchiectasis (post-tuberculosis bronchiectasis) patients was 36.08±13.08, which was lower than the non-tuberculosis bronchiectasis group. The proportion of the male population was more in the post-TB bronchiectasis group (54.55% vs. 37.88%, p=0.48). Smoking prevalence was high in post-TB bronchiectasis (27.27% vs. 12.12%, p=0.04). The predominant symptom was cough in the post-tubercular bronchiectasis group (48.5% vs. 41.7%, p=0.019). The history of the recurrent common cold was seen most frequently in non-post-tubercular bronchiectasis (40.9% vs. 12.9%, p=0.001). The most common radiological variant of bronchiectasis found in all patients was a cystic type (75%). The most common site of involvement was the left lower lobe, followed by the lingula in all patients and post-tuberculosis bronchiectasis patients. Pulmonary function on spirometry revealed obstructive, restrictive, and mixed patterns in 55%, 25%, and 15%, respectively. Patients with post-tuberculosis bronchiectasis had lower lung function post-FEV1/FVC (forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity) ratio (70.31±15.56 vs. 76.85±11.82, p=0.015). Binary multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that only recurrent cough cold was a significant independent risk factor for post-TB bronchiectasis. Conclusion Post-tuberculosis, and bronchiectasis followed by post-infectious causes, were the most common causes of bronchiectasis and poor lung function.