There is little literature about the mortality associated with bronchiectasis. The aim of the present study was to investigate factors affecting mortality in patients with bronchiectasis.In total, 91 patients were examined for aetiology, pulmonary function tests, high-resolution computed tomography, sputum microbiology and quality of life scores and were then followed over 13 yrs.Overall, 29.7% of the patients died. On multivariate analysis, age, St George's Respiratory Questionnaire activity score, Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, total lung capacity (TLC), residual volume/TLC and the transfer factor coefficient were all independently associated with mortality.In patients with moderate to severe bronchiectasis, mortality is associated with a degree of restrictive and obstructive disease, poor gas transfer and chronic pseudomonas infection. These features should guide future research into disease progression, and identify those patients needing intensive treatment.

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Purpose:To test the reliability of potentially new computed tomographic (CT) indicators of pulmonary hypertension (PH) and to establish whether a combination of CT and echocardiographic measurements was more predictive of PH than either test alone.

PA dilatation occurs in the absence of PH in patients with pulmonary fibrosis and is therefore an unreliable sign of PH in these patients.

Pulmonary hypertension, reflected by pulmonary arterial enlargement on CT scans, is a highly significant prognostic indicator in the evaluation of patients with bronchiectasis.