Baseline characteristics of patients in the Chinese Bronchiectasis Registry (BE-China): a multicentre prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Bronchiectasis is a disease with a global impact, but most published data come from high-income countries. We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of patients with bronchiectasis in China. METHODS: The Chinese Bronchiectasis Registry (BE-China) is a prospective, observational cohort enrolling patients from 111 hospitals in China. Data on demographics, comorbidities, and aetiological testing results were collected from adult patients with bronchiectasis at baseline and annual follow-up. Patients who met the inclusion criteria (age ≥18 years; received chest high-resolution CT in the past year showing bronchiectasis affecting one or more lung lobes; and clinical history consistent with bronchiectasis, including chronic cough, daily sputum production, and history of exacerbations) were included. Patients with known cystic fibrosis were excluded. To investigate variations according to different economic regions, two groups were compared based on whether per capita disposable income of residents was greater than US$5553. Clinical characteristics were compared with the European (EMBARC) registry and other national registries. FINDINGS: Between Jan 10, 2020, and March 31, 2024, 10 324 patients from 97 centres were included in the study. Among 9501 participants with available data, the most common cause of bronchiectasis was post-infective disease (4101 [43·2%] patients), followed by idiopathic (2809 [29·6%] patients). 6676 (70·0%) of 9541 patients with available data had at least one exacerbation in the year before enrolment and 5427 (57·2%) of 9489 patients with available data were hospitalised at least once due to exacerbations. Treatments commonly used in high-income countries, such as inhaled antibiotics and macrolides, were infrequently used in China. Implementation of airway clearance in China was scarce, with only 1177 (12·2%) of 9647 patients having used at least one method of airway clearance. Compared with upper-middle-income regions, patients from lower-middle-income regions were younger (61·0 years [SD 14·0] vs 63·9 years [14·2]) with a higher proportion of pulmonary comorbidities (521 [17·8%] of 2922 patients vs 639 [8·6%] of 7402 with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 194 [6·6%] of 2922 patients vs 364 [4·9%] of 7402 patients with asthma), a higher tuberculosis burden (442 [16·0%] of 2768 patients vs 715 [10·6%] of 6733 patients), more severe radiological involvement (1160 [42·4%] of 2736 patients vs 2415 [35·4%] of 6816 patients with cystic bronchiectasis), more exacerbations (median 1·4 [IQR 0-2] in both groups; mean 1·4 [SD 1·6] vs 1·2 [1·4] in the previous year) and hospitalisations (1662 [60·6%] of 2743 patients vs 3765 [55·8%] of 6746 patients hospitalised at least once in the previous year), and poorer quality of life (median 57·4 [IQR 53·5-63·1] vs 58·7 [54·8-64·8] assessed by the Bronchiectasis Health Questionnaire). INTERPRETATION: The clinical characteristics of patients with bronchiectasis in China show differences compared with cohorts in Europe and India. Bronchiectasis is more severe with a higher burden of exacerbations in lower-income regions. The management of patients with bronchiectasis in China urgently needs standardisation and improvement. FUNDING: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Innovation Program of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, Program of the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission, and Program of the Shanghai Shenkang Development Center. TRANSLATION: For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.