Clinical Approach to Non-cystic fibrosis Bronchiectasis Based on Recent Clinical Guideline

Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis is a common respiratory disease that is frequently encountered in daily practice. However, it has been regarded as an orphan lung disease and had been often neglected by the physicians. Fortunately, recent studies have unveiled many important clinical aspects of bronchiectasis. Accordingly, international evidence-based practice guideline such as the European Respiratory Society guideline and the British Thoracic Society (BTS) guideline have been published recently. However, as there is no domestic evidence-based guideline, we introduce clinical approaches to diagnose bronchiectasis and discuss important aspects of bronchiectasis based on most recently published the BTS guideline. In addition, we cover the treatment of bronchiectasis based on the BTS guideline. We hope newly assembled a Korean bronchiectasis study group, name the Korean Multicenter Bronchiectasis Audit and Research Collaboration (KMBARC) would contribute to publishing Korean bronchiectasis guideline, soon.