Patient characteristics
| Study participants# | 20 |
| Male | 12 (60) |
| Age yrs | 73 (72–77) |
| Ex-smokers | 8 (40) |
| Chronic cardiac disease | 3 (15) |
| Neurological disease | 1 (5) |
| Chronic renal impairment | 1 (5) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 0 |
| Inhaled corticosteroid therapy | 12 (60) |
| Systemic corticosteroid therapy | 0 |
| Long-term antibiotic therapy | 2 (10) |
| Infective exacerbations requiring antibiotic treatment in preceding 12 months | 2 (1.5–3) |
| Lobes affected with bronchiectasis on HRCT | 4 (3–4.75) |
| Varicose or cystic dilatation affecting ≥1 lobe | 15 (75) |
| Chronically colonised with pathogenic organisms in sputum when stable | 14 (70) |
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa | 6 (42.9) |
| Haemophilus influenzae | 5 (35.7) |
| Staphylococcus aureus | 2 (14.3) |
| Moraxella catarrhalis | 1 (7.1) |
| Aetiology of bronchiectasis | |
| Post-infective | 10 (50) |
| Idiopathic | 8 (40) |
| Inactive allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis | 1 (5) |
| Inflammatory bowel disease | 1 (5) |
Data are presented as n, n (%) or median (interquartile range). HRCT: high-resolution computed tomography. #: all outpatients.