BACKGROUND

This meta-analysis aimed to systematically estimate the prevalence of comorbid bronchiectasis in patients with asthma and to summarize its clinical impact.

METHODS

Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane Library electronic databases were searched to identify relevant studies published from inception until March 2020.

STUDY SELECTION

Studies were included if bronchiectasis was identified by high-resolution computed tomography. Outcomes included the prevalence of bronchiectasis and its association with demographic characteristics and indicators of asthma severity, including results of lung function tests and the number of exacerbations.

RESULTS

Five observational studies with 839 patients were included. Overall, the mean prevalence of bronchiectasis in patients with asthma was 36.6% (307/839). Patients with comorbid bronchiectasis had lower forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) (MD: -2.71; 95% CI: -3.72 to -1.69) and more frequent exacerbations (MD: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.03 to 1.33) than those with asthma alone, and there was no significant difference of sex, duration of asthma and serum levels of immunoglobulin(Ig)Es between asthmatic patients with or without bronchiectasis.

CONCLUSION

The presence of bronchiectasis in patients with asthma was associated with greater asthma severity. There are important therapeutic implications of identifying bronchiectasis in asthmatic patients.