Abstract
Background and Aim: Bronchiectasis is a heterogenous disease. The Aboriginal population appear to have a high burden but there is an unmet need to understand the nature of bronchiectasis in the population in comparison to the non-aboriginal counterparts. The aim of the study was to compare the demographic and clinical characteristics of adult Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal patients with clinical diagnosis of bronchiectasis living in the Top End Northern Territory of Australia.
Method: A retrospective study conducted in the Top End Northern Territory of Australia. Clinical records were reviewed to extract information on demographics, co-existence of other respiratory and medical co-morbid conditions, and respiratory disease specific investigations and treatment.
Results and Conclusions: There were 388 patients diagnosed to have bronchiectasis, of them 258 (66.5%) were Aboriginal Australians. Aboriginal patients were on an average 11 years younger, have higher rates of self-reported alcohol consumption(p<0.001) and smoking, higher co-occurrence with COPD(p<0.001), chronic kidney disease (p<0.001), diabetes(p<0.001), ischemic heart disease(p=0.013), rheumatic heart disease(p=0.006) in comparison to non-Aboriginal patients, in whom GORD (p=0.004) and H/O Non-tubercular Mycobacteria (p=0.013) were more common. FEV1 and FVC values are significantly lower among Aboriginal cohort. The sputum results showed Haemophilus(p<0.001), Moraxella(p=0.001) and Streptococcus(p<0.001) were common organisms in Aboriginal while Aspergillus(p<0.001) and Pseudomonas(p=0.01) were less common in comparison to non-Aboriginals.
Footnotes
Cite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2020; 56: Suppl. 64, 4099.
This abstract was presented at the 2020 ERS International Congress, in session “Respiratory viruses in the "pre COVID-19" era”.
This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).
- Copyright ©the authors 2020