TY - JOUR T1 - Clinical characteristics of COPD with mild bronchiectasis JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 38 IS - Suppl 55 SP - p3571 AU - Misuzu Kurahara AU - Nariaki Kokuho AU - Hiroki Hayashi AU - Takeo Ishii AU - Takashi Motegi AU - Kumiko Hattori AU - Kouichi Yamada AU - Koichiro Kamio AU - Ahikiko Gemma AU - Kozui Kida Y1 - 2011/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p3571.abstract N2 - Aim: We tested the hypothesis that patients who have COPD and develop mild BE have a more deteriorated QOL, exercise capacity, and outcome after 1 year than do patients who have COPD without bronchiectasis (BE).Methods and subjects: The study population consisted of 204 consecutive patients with COPD. All the patients underwent HRCT of the chest and the following studies: quantitative assessment of bronchiectasis by using the methods reported by Bhalla (1991) and Smith (2010), pulmonary function tests, 6-minute walking test, and assessment for QOL. The outcomes for acute exacerbations were evaluated for 1 year.Results: The study included 204 patients (men, 189; women, 15) with a mean age of 71.2 years. The prevalence of BE in the patients was 27% (n = 55), and the frequency of exacerbations (FE) was 0.49 per year for 70 of the patients. On adjusting for FEV1%, age, and gender, it was found that the patients who had COPD and BE had significantly risk of FE than did those who had COPD without BE (p < 0.02). Visual analogue scale-QOL assessments indicated a trend towards deteriorated QOL for patients with BE with regard to social activity alone. The fat free mass index for patients with BE was significantly lower than that for patients without BE (p <0.02). These data were almost similar for the 2 different assessments performed using the methods reported by Bhalla and Smith.Conclusions: The patients who had COPD with mild BE had greater likelihood of acute exacerbation than did the patients who had COPD without BE. This characterized phenotype of COPD that is attributed to BE should be evaluated for chronic management even in mild cases of BE. ER -