Diagnostic delay in bronchiectasis: an Italian perspective

Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease characterised by an abnormal dilation of the bronchi associated with a clinical syndrome of daily productive cough and a history of frequent exacerbations 1. Although bronchiectasis awareness has increased over the past decades, underestimation of this disease still exists across different settings and healthcare professionals 2. A diagnostic delay seems to exist in bronchiectasis, ranging from 12 to 17 years, and this might lead to disease progression and worsen patients' outcomes 3, 4, 5. It takes ∼3.5 years to reach a diagnosis of bronchiectasis from onset of symptoms: the long patient's journey in Italy