Impact of physical activity on all-cause mortality in individuals with noncystic fibrosis bronchiectasis

Sang Hyuk Kim ¹ Hayoung Choi ² Kyungdo Han ³ JinHyung Jung ⁴ Bumhee Yang ⁵ Hyun Lee ^6*

• ¹ Dongguk University Gyeongju, Gyeongju, Republic of Korea
• ² Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
• ³ Soongsil University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
• ⁴ Sungkyunkwan University, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
• ⁵ Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, North Chungcheong, Republic of Korea
• ⁶ Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Background: Little information is available regarding whether increased physical activity lowers mortality risk in individuals with bronchiectasis.Methods: We used the Korean National Health Insurance Service database from 2010 to 2016 to evaluate the association between changes in physical activity and mortality risk in individuals with bronchiectasis. Of 552510 individuals with newly diagnosed bronchiectasis, we enrolled 165842 individuals who had two consecutive health examinations before and after bronchiectasis diagnosis, within two years, as the study aimed to measure changes in exercise habits between the two time points. Inactive physical activity was defined as moderate- or vigorous-intensity physical activity less than once a week in both health screening examinations. The outcome measure was all-cause mortality.Results: During a mean follow-up of 6.2±2.1 years, 10535 (6.4%) individuals with bronchiectasis died. Individuals with bronchiectasis who were physically active exhibited a lower mortality rate than those who were physically inactive. Mortality reduction was particularly evident in the exercise maintainers group (aHR [adjusted hazard ratio] = 0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.64–0.74) and individuals with physical activity ≥ 1000 metabolic equivalent of task-min per week (aHR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.70–0.77) compared to those who were physically inactive.Conclusion: Engaging in active physical activity is associated with a decreased risk of mortality in individuals with bronchiectasis.