Demographics, medical history, clinical and radiological status, and pulmonary function, microbiology and laboratory data according to three study groups: patients with nontuberculous mycobacteria pulmonary disease (NTM-PD), patients infected by NTM but without pulmonary disease development (NTM infection) and patients with bronchiectasis tested for NTM but without NTM isolation
| NTM-PD (n=47) | NTM infection (n=50) | Bronchiectasis without NTM isolation (n=276) | p-value | |
| Demographics | ||||
| Age, years | 65 (60–70) | 66.5 (54–75) | 61 (47.5–71) | 0.05 |
| >65 years | 21 (44.7) | 25 (50) | 105 (38) | 0.23 |
| >75 years | 3 (6.4) | 11 (22) | 33 (11.9) | 0.056 |
| Male | 8 (17) | 10 (20) | 66 (23.9) | 0.5 |
| BMI, kg·m−2 | 20 (18–21.4)¶ | 21 (18.9–24) | 22 (19.2–24.5)¶ | <0.001 |
| Underweight (BMI <18.5 kg·m−2) | 13 (27.7)¶ | 11 (22) | 39 (14.1)¶ | 0.04 |
| Smoker or ex-smoker | 2 (51.1) | 23 (46) | 116 (42) | 0.48 |
| Medical history | ||||
| Comorbid asthma | 1 (2.1)#,¶ | 9 (18)# | 52 (18.8)¶ | 0.017 |
| Comorbid COPD | 2 (4.2)# | 9 (18)#,+ | 19 (6.8)+ | 0.018 |
| Comorbid rhinosinusitis | 9 (19.1)¶ | 18 (36) | 107 (38.8)¶ | 0.035 |
| B-lymphocyte deficiency | 7 (14.9) | 13 (26)+ | 24 (8.7)+ | 0.002 |
| T-lymphocyte deficiency | 7 (14.9)¶ | 6 (12) | 15 (5.4)¶ | 0.033 |
| Natural killer deficiency | 2 (4.3) | 2 (4) | 9 (3.3) | 0.92 |
| IgA deficiency | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 9 (3.3) | 0.2 |
| IgM deficiency | 3 (6.4) | 2 (4) | 13 (4.7) | 0.83 |
| IgG deficiency | 1 (2.1) | 2 (4) | 8 (2.9) | 0.87 |
| IgG subclass deficiency | 7 (14.9) | 4 (4) | 33 (12) | 0.55 |
| Long-acting β-agonist treatment | 13 (27.7)#,¶ | 31 (62)# | 145 (52.5)¶ | 0.002 |
| Long-acting muscarinic antagonist treatment | 21 (44.7) | 25 (50)+ | 90 (32.6)+ | 0.029 |
| Receiving ICS at NTM isolation | 2 (4.3)#,¶ | 18 (36)# | 103 (37.3)¶ | <0.001 |
| Inhaled antibiotics treatment | 6 (13.8) | 8 (16)+ | 17 (6)+ | 0.034 |
| Macrolide treatment | 6 (12.8) | 5 (10) | 33 (11.9) | 0.9 |
| Proton pump inhibitors | 16 (34) | 21 (42) | 85 (30.7) | 0.29 |
| Clinical status | ||||
| Sputum volume, mL | 5.5 (5–30) | 10 (5–27.5) | 10 (5–25) | 0.62 |
| Daily sputum | 30 (63.8) | 39 (78) | 209 (75.7) | 0.19 |
| mMRC grade | 0 (0–1) | 0 (0–1) | 0 (0–1) | 0.85 |
| BSI score | 6.5 (4–10) | 7 (5–11)+ | 6 (4–9)+ | 0.03 |
| BSI score risk class | ||||
| Mild | 13 (27.7) | 8 (16)+ | 94 (34.1)+ | 0.029 |
| Moderate | 17 (36.2) | 22 (44) | 97 (35.1) | 0.56 |
| Severe | 14 (29.8) | 20 (40) | 78 (28.3) | 0.3 |
| BACI score | 0 (0–0)#,¶ | 0 (0–3)# | 0 (0–3)¶ | 0.03 |
| Exacerbations in previous year, n | 1 (0–2)#,¶ | 2 (1–4)# | 1 (1–3)¶ | 0.003 |
| ≥3 exacerbation in previous year | 9 (19.1) | 19 (38) | 83 (30.1) | 0.14 |
| FACED score | 2 (1–3) | 2 (1–4) | 2 (1–3) | 0.25 |
| FACED risk class | ||||
| Mild | 30 (63.8) | 26 (52) | 175 (63.4) | 0.29 |
| Moderate | 15 (31.9) | 18 (36) | 79 (28.6) | 0.56 |
| Severe | 2 (4.3) | 6 (12) | 21 (7.6) | 0.36 |
| Radiological status | ||||
| Reiff score | 4 (3–6) | 4 (3–6) | 4 (2–6) | 0.83 |
| Involved lobes, n | 4 (2.5–6) | 4 (3–4) | 4 (2–5) | 0.43 |
| Cavitation | 9 (19.1)#,¶ | 2 (4)# | 6 (2.2)¶ | <0.001 |
| Bronchiectasis in middle lobe | 40 (85.1) | 44 (88) | 222 (80.4) | 0.25 |
| Bronchiectasis in lingula | 36 (76.6) | 35 (70) | 18 (68.5) | 0.31 |
| Bronchiectasis in middle lobe and lingula | 34 (72.3) | 33 (66) | 176 (63.8) | 0.33 |
| Functional status | ||||
| FEV1, % pred | 74 (65.5–90.5)¶ | 77.5 (65.5–95) | 84 (68–101)¶ | 0.049 |
| Microbiology | ||||
| Chronic infection with ≥1 pathogens | 15 (31.9) | 15 (31.9) | 101 (36.6) | 0.29 |
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa | 11 (23.4) | 10 (21.3) | 59 (21.4) | 0.89 |
| Laboratory data | ||||
| C-reactive protein, mg·L−1 | 0.59 (0.23–0.97) | 0.4 (0.16–1.05) | 0.3 (0.12–0.9) | 0.14 |
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. #: p<0.05 (NTM-PD versus NTM infection); ¶: p<0.05 (NTM-PD versus bronchiectasis without NTM isolation); +: p<0.05 (NTM infection versus bronchiectasis without NTM isolation).