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This research investigates the clinical characteristics and associated risk factors of NTM-PD in relation to bronchiectasis.

February 25, 2026Open Access

Clinical Characteristics and Risk Factors Analysis of Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease Complicated with Bronchiectasis

Key Points

This research investigates the clinical characteristics and associated risk factors of NTM-PD in relation to bronchiectasis.
Conducted a retrospective analysis of NTM-PD patients at Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital.
Utilized metagenomic next-generation sequencing for diagnoses.
Applied univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to assess the relationships between variables and outcomes.
Among 43 NTM-PD patients, 24 had bronchiectasis while 19 did not.
Female patients comprised a significantly larger proportion within the bronchiectasis group (79.17%).
Slow-growing NTM species were more prevalent in the bronchiectasis group (70.83%).
The T-SPOT.TB positive rate was significantly higher in the NTM-PD group without bronchiectasis (47.37%).

Abstract

Background: Nontuberculous mycobacteria pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) frequently coexists with bronchiectasis. This study aimed to compare clinical profiles and identify risk factors between NTM-PD patients with/without bronchiectasis and explore differences between rapid- vs slow-growing non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) species. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients diagnosed with NTM-PD and admitted to Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital between April 2021 and April 2025. Among 496 inpatients with pulmonary diseases who underwent metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, NTM were identified in 57 patients. Ultimately, 43 of these cases were confirmed and diagnosed as having NTM-PD. Relevant clinical data were collected, and the association between each variable and adverse outcomes was assessed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: Among the 43 confirmed NTM-PD patients, 24 had concurrent bronchiectasis (NTM-PD with bronchiectasis group) and 19 did not (NTM-PD group). In terms of baseline characteristics, the NTM-PD with bronchiectasis had a significantly higher proportion of females (79.17% vs 31.57%, P=0.002) and lower BMI (19.46 vs 22.46, P=0.023). Slow-growing NTM (SGM, mainly Mycobacterium avium complex MAC) was more common in the NTM-PD with bronchiectasis group (70.83% vs 31.58%, P=0.010); rapid-growing NTM (RGM, mainly M. abscessus ) was more prevalent in the NTM-PD group (57.89% vs 20.83%, P=0.013). The positive rate of T-SPOT.TB in the NTM-PD group was higher than that in the NTM-PD with bronchiectasis group (47.37% vs 8.33%, P=0.010). Multivariate logistic regression identified female sex as an independent risk factor for NTM-PD complicated with bronchiectasis (OR=17.784, 95% CI: 1.103– 286.857, P=0.042), while T-SPOT.TB was not (OR=0.047, 95% CI: 0.002– 1.341, P=0.074). Conclusion: Female sex is an independent risk factor for NTM-PD complicated with bronchiectasis. NTM-PD patients with bronchiectasis are more likely to be infected with SGM (especially MAC), while those without bronchiectasis tend to have RGM (especially M. abscessus ) infection. Keywords: nontuberculous mycobacteria, bronchiectasis, rapid-growing mycobacteria, slow-growing mycobacteria, risk factors

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