Demographics, medical history, clinical and radiological status, and pulmonary function, microbiology and laboratory data according to two study groups: patients with positive nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) testing (NTM+) and patients with bronchiectasis tested for NTM but without NTM isolation (NTM−)
| NTM+ (n=97) | NTM− (n=276) | p-value | |
| Demographics | |||
| Age, years | 65 (57–72) | 61 (47.5–71) | 0.015 |
| >65 years | 46 (47.4) | 105 (38) | 0.1 |
| >75 years | 14 (14.4) | 33 (11.9) | 0.5 |
| Male | 18 (18.6) | 66 (23.9) | 0.28 |
| BMI, kg·m−2 | 20.3 (18.5–22.04) | 22 (19.2–24.5) | <0.001 |
| Underweight (BMI <18.5 kg·m−2) | 24 (24.7) | 39 (14.1) | 0.017 |
| Smoker or ex-smoker | 47 (48.5) | 116 (42) | 0.27 |
| Medical history | |||
| Comorbid asthma | 10 (10.3) | 52 (18.8) | 0.05 |
| Comorbid COPD | 11 (11.3) | 19 (6.8) | 0.17 |
| Comorbid rhinosinusitis | 27 (27.8) | 107 (38.8) | 0.05 |
| B-lymphocyte deficiency | 20 (20.6) | 24 (8.7) | 0.002 |
| T-lymphocyte deficiency | 13 (13.4) | 15 (5.4) | 0.01 |
| Natural killer deficiency | 4 (4.1) | 9 (3.3) | 0.69 |
| IgA deficiency | 0 (0) | 9 (3.3) | 0.07 |
| IgM deficiency | 5 (5.2) | 13 (4.7) | 0.85 |
| IgG deficiency | 3 (3.1) | 8 (2.9) | 0.92 |
| IgG subclass deficiency | 11 (11.3) | 33 (12) | 0.89 |
| Long-acting β-agonist treatment | 44 (45.4) | 145 (52.5) | 0.22 |
| Long-acting muscarinic antagonist treatment | 46 (47.4) | 90 (32.6) | 0.009 |
| Receiving ICS at NTM isolation | 20 (20.6) | 103 (37.3) | 0.003 |
| Inhaled antibiotics treatment | 14 (14.4) | 17 (6) | 0.01 |
| Macrolide treatment | 11 (11.3) | 3 (11.9) | 0.87 |
| Proton pump inhibitors | 37 (38.1) | 8 (30.7) | 0.19 |
| Clinical status | |||
| Sputum volume, mL | 10 (5–30) | 10 (5–25) | 0.85 |
| Daily sputum | 69 (71.1) | 209 (75.7) | 0.37 |
| mMRC grade | 0 (0–1) | 0 (0–1) | 0.58 |
| BSI score | 7 (5–10) | 6 (4–9) | 0.014 |
| BSI risk class | |||
| Mild | 21 (21.6) | 94 (34.1) | 0.02 |
| Moderate | 39 (40.2) | 97 (35.1) | 0.35 |
| Severe | 34 (35.1) | 78 (28.3) | 0.19 |
| BACI score | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–3) | 0.27 |
| Exacerbations in previous year, n | 1 (0–3) | 1 (1–3) | 0.49 |
| ≥3 exacerbations in previous year | 28 (28.9) | 83 (30) | 0.84 |
| FACED score | 2 (1–3) | 2 (1–3) | 0.3 |
| FACED risk class | |||
| Mild | 56 (57.7) | 175 (63.4) | 0.3 |
| Moderate | 33 (34) | 79 (28.6) | 0.33 |
| Severe | 8 (8.3) | 21 (7.6) | 0.85 |
| Radiological status | |||
| Reiff score | 4 (3–6) | 4 (2–6) | 0.54 |
| Involved lobes, n | 4 (3–5) | 4 (2–5) | 0.3 |
| Cavitation | 11 (11.3) | 6 (2.2) | <0.001 |
| Bronchiectasis in middle lobe | 84 (86.6) | 222 (80.4) | 0.09 |
| Bronchiectasis in lingula | 71 (74.7) | 189 (68.5) | 0.27 |
| Bronchiectasis in middle lobe and lingula | 67 (70.5) | 176 (63.8) | 0.27 |
| Functional status | |||
| FEV1, % pred | 74 (65.5–92) | 84 (68–101) | 0.02 |
| Microbiology | |||
| Chronic infection with ≥1 pathogens | 30 (30.9) | 101 (36.6) | 0.12 |
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa | 21 (21.6) | 59 (21.4) | 0.73 |
| Laboratory data | |||
| C-reactive protein, mg·L−1 | 0.45 (0.17–1.01) | 0.3 (0.12–0.9) | 0.049 |
Data are presented as median (interquartile range) or n (%), unless otherwise stated. BMI: body mass index; ICS: inhaled corticosteroid; mMRC: modified Medical Research Council; BSI: Bronchiectasis Severity Index; BACI: Bronchiectasis Aetiology Comorbidity Index; FACED: forced expiratory volume in 1 s, age, chronic colonisation, extension and dyspnoea; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s.