A Retrospective Study of Pulmonary Function Tests in Bronchiectasis: An Infectious Disease of the Respiratory System

Introduction: Bronchiectasis, currently being recognized worldwide, is an abnormal dilatation of the bronchi and bronchioles brought on by recurrent cycles of inflammation and airway infection. Impaired pulmonary function has a predictive significance in bronchiectasis. When treating patients with suspected or confirmed respiratory diseases, pulmonary function tests (PFT) are useful examinations. Very few studies have been done on PFTs in bronchiectasis. The main aim of this study is to study PFTs in bronchiectasis. Method: This is a retrospective observational study done on 50 patients over two years at the tertiary care center. The previous records of patients were collected from the Pulmonary Function Lab. The spectrum of lung functions in patients with bronchiectasis was studied with the parameters in pulmonary function tests to see pre- and post-bronchodilator changes in the study population. Results: After post-bronchodilator use, flow volume curve parameters were significantly increased. The mean responses were significant for both FEV1 (increased from 1.29 to 1.53) and FEV1/FVC (increased from 70.9 to 78.4) criteria. However, there was no significant change for the mean MMEF 25/75 (increased from 1.09 to 1.45) criteria after bronchodilator use. The most common pattern was an obstructive defect 24 (48%). Conclusion: When diagnosing and treating bronchiectasis, lung function tests are a crucial evaluation tool. Objective information regarding the kind and severity of respiratory impairment is provided by lung function testing. An airflow obstruction is the most frequent ventilatory pattern associated with bronchiectasis. There is improvement in FEV1 and FVC following bronchodilator use in bronchiectasis.