# Bronchiectasis in renal transplant patients: a cross-sectional study

## TL;DR

This study compares bronchiectasis in kidney transplant patients and those with idiopathic bronchiectasis, finding similar clinical and microbiological features.

## Contribution

The study is the first prospective comparison of bronchiectasis in renal transplant patients and idiopathic cases.

## Key findings

- RT-B and IB groups showed similar dyspnea, exacerbations, and pulmonary function.
- Chronic cough was less frequent in RT-B patients compared to IB patients.
- Airway microbiota prevalence and diversity were similar between the two groups.

## Abstract

Bronchiectasis is a chronic airway disease characterized by permanent and irreversible abnormal dilatation of bronchi. Several studies have reported the development of bronchiectasis after renal transplantation (RT), but no prospective study specifically assessed bronchiectasis in this population. This study aimed to compare features of patients with bronchiectasis associated with RT to those with idiopathic bronchiectasis.

Nineteen patients with bronchiectasis associated with RT (RT-B group) and 23 patients with idiopathic bronchiectasis (IB group) were prospectively included in this monocentric cross-sectional study. All patients underwent clinical, functional, laboratory, and CT scan assessments. Sputum was collected from 25 patients (n = 11 with RT-B and n = 14 with IB) and airway microbiota was analyzed using an extended microbiological culture.

Dyspnea (≥ 2 on mMRC scale), number of exacerbations, pulmonary function tests, total bronchiectasis score, severity and prognosis scores (FACED and E-FACED), and quality of life scores (SGRQ and MOS SF-36) were similar in the RT-B and IB groups. By contrast, chronic cough was less frequent in the RT-B group than in the IB group (68% vs. 96%, p = 0.03). The prevalence and diversity of the airway microbiota in sputum were similar in the two groups.

Clinical, functional, thoracic CT scan, and microbiological characteristics of bronchiectasis are overall similar in patients with IB and RT-B. These results highlight that in RT patients, chronic respiratory symptoms and/or airway infections should lead to consider the diagnosis of bronchiectasis. Further studies are required to better characterize the pathophysiology of RT-B including airway microbiota, its incidence, and impact on therapeutic management.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40001-024-01701-1.