Population-based prevalence of bronchiectasis and associated comorbidities in South Korea

Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease characterised by abnormal dilatation of bronchi, which presents clinically with cough, sputum production and recurrent infection [1]. Although bronchiectasis had been regarded as an “orphan” disease [2], recent studies have shown that the prevalence of bronchiectasis is increasing and this disease causes a significant burden on public health, including increased healthcare costs, hospital admission and mortality [3–5]. A nationally representative study reveals that bronchiectasis prevalence in the South Korean population might be higher than in Western populations <http://bit.ly/2Z1ZZig> We thank Sang Won Seo, the manager of Hallym University Medical Center Business Information Team (Seoul, South Korea), for his generous assistance in data collection.