Clinical Impacts of Isolation in Patients with Bronchiectasis: Findings from KMBARC Registry.

isolation in bronchiectasis is associated with a poor prognosis, including increased hospital admissions, exacerbation, and mortality. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of isolation from patients with bronchiectasis in South Korea. This multicenter prospective cohort study analyzed 936 patients with bronchiectasis. We examined the prevalence of isolates and other microbiological characteristics. Additionally, the clinical characteristics related to disease severity and 1-year prognosis were compared between patients with and without isolation. Propensity score matching was used to mitigate confounding biases. Of the 936 patients with bronchiectasis, was isolated from 89. A total of 445 matched patients-356 patients without (non- group) and 89 with ( group) isolation-were analyzed. The group showed poorer lung function, greater involvement of radiographic bronchiectasis, and a higher proportion of cystic bronchiectasis than the non- group. After one year, more patients in the group were admitted for bronchiectasis than in the non- group. Moreover, the Bronchiectasis Health Questionnaire scores were significantly lower in the group than in the non- group. The isolation of was independently associated with increased disease severity and poor clinical outcomes in Korean patients with bronchiectasis.