Heraganahally, Subash

Gibbs, Claire

Ravichandran, Shiidheshwar

Erdenebayar, Davaadorj

Chen, Winnie

Abeyaratne, Asanga

Jersmann, Hubertus

Jayaram, Lata

Howarth, Timothy

2025-01-21

Globally, adult Indigenous people, including Aboriginal Australians, have a high burden of chronic respiratory disorders, and bronchiectasis is no exception. However, literature detailing bronchiectasis disease characteristics among adult Indigenous people is sparse. This study assessed the clinical profile of bronchiectasis among adult Aboriginal Australians and compared against previously published international bronchiectasis registry reports.Aboriginal Australians aged >18 years with chest CT confirmed bronchiectasis between 2011 and 2020 in the Top End Northern Territory of Australia were included. Demographics, chest CT findings, pulmonary function results, sputum microbiology, coexistent medical comorbidities, and pharmacotherapy use were assessed and compared against five published international bronchiectasis registry reports (Australian (ABR), European (European Multicentre Bronchiectasis Audit and Research Collaboration (EMBARC)-Europe), Indian (EMBARC-India), Korean (KMBARC) and the USA (USBRR)).A total of 459 patients were assessed. In comparison with international and non-Aboriginal Australian national cohorts, Aboriginal Australians were younger (median 56 years (IQR (48, 65)); however, sex distribution (55% female) and body mass index (23 kg/m (IQR 19.4-27)) were comparable . Smoking rates were higher at 85% compared with other registry cohorts (22-46%) as was the prevalence of comorbidities (97%): cardiovascular diseases (73%), diabetes mellitus (50%) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (83%) compared with other registry cohorts (4-32%; 6-14%; and 14-37%, respectively). Spirometry demonstrated forced expiratory volume in 1 s of 38% predicted in comparison with 61-77% in other cohorts. Sputum microbiology showed (57%) isolated at 3.4 to 6 times the rate of other registry cohorts and in 31%. Chest CT demonstrated multilobar and lower lobes involvement in 73% and inhaled pharmacotherapy use was recorded in up to 62% and long-term antibiotics in 5%.The overall bronchiectasis disease burden is higher in Aboriginal Australian adults in comparison with global ethnically diverse non-Indigenous populations. Further efforts are required to address this disparity secondary to bronchiectasis among Indigenous people.

Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia subash.heraganahally@nt.gov.au.

Northern Territory Medical Program, Flinders University College of Medicine and Public Health, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Darwin Respiratory and Sleep Health, Darwin Private Hospital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

School of Medicine, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Northern Territory Medical Program, Flinders University College of Medicine and Public Health, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Division of General Medicine, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Division of General Medicine, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Northern Territory Medical Program, Flinders University College of Medicine and Public Health, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Danila Dilba, Aboriginal Health Service, General Practice, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Division of General Medicine, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Department of Respiratory and Sleep, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.

Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Department of Respiratory and Sleep, Western Health, Footscray, Victoria, Australia.

Darwin Respiratory and Sleep Health, Darwin Private Hospital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Department of Technical Physics, University of Eastern Finland - Kuopio Campus, Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo, Finland.

BMJ Open Respir Res . 2025 Jan 21;12(1):e002139. doi: 10.1136/bmjresp-2023-002139.

2052-4439

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39842857/?otool=iaurydwlib

https://hdl.handle.net/10137/13934

Atypical Mycobacterial Infection

Bronchiectasis

COPD epidemiology

Clinical Epidemiology

Emphysema

Imaging/CT MRI etc

Inhaler devices

Respiratory Function Test

Humans

Bronchiectasis

Male

Female

Middle Aged

Registries

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Aged

Adult

Retrospective Studies

Cross-Sectional Studies

Australia

Comorbidity

Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Retrospective cross-sectional study on bronchiectasis in adult Aboriginal Australians: disease characteristics and comparison with ethnically diverse global bronchiectasis registry cohorts.

Journal Article

Publication