TY - JOUR T1 - Bronchiectasis: moving from an orphan disease to an unpleasant socioeconomic burden JF - ERJ Open Research JO - erjor DO - 10.1183/23120541.00507-2021 VL - 7 IS - 4 SP - 00507-2021 AU - Rodrigo Abensur Athanazio Y1 - 2021/10/01 UR - http://openres.ersjournals.com/content/7/4/00507-2021.abstract N2 - Bronchiectasis is a complex and heterogeneous condition characterised by persistent airway dilation, mucus hypersecretion, and recurrent respiratory infectious exacerbations. Numerous diseases and external insults may trigger the process of developing bronchiectasis, which makes the management of this disease even more challenging [1]. Until a few decades ago, bronchiectasis was considered an orphan disease due to its low prevalence, little recognition of its importance even by pulmonologists, and lack of proven effective therapies for its management. However, in recent years, bronchiectasis has no longer been considered an orphan disease [2]. The improvement and greater availability of diagnostic imaging methods associated with new studies aimed to understand the pathophysiology of bronchiectasis has opened a new chapter for this disease [3].Bronchiectasis has received increasing attention in recent years. At the same time, studies have shown a high incidence of this disease, especially in older populations, associated with high health-related costs and economic burden. https://bit.ly/2WPfVZ7 ER -