Background. Around 60% of bronchiectasis (BX) diagnoses are made in people aged over 70, when cardiovascular events (CVE) most affect long-term prognosis and mortality. We therefore performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify the excess risk of CVE in adults with BX.

Methods. This study followed PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO. PubMed was searched for relevant articles. Papers published from 2012 to 2022 which provided a measure of the relative risk of CVE in BX patients as compared to a reference group of individuals without BX were included.

Results. Among the 15 eligible articles identified from the electronic search, 3 cohort studies were considered for meta-analysis and pooled estimates were obtained for coronary heart disease and stroke. The studies included patients with mean ages ranging between 62 and 67 years who were followed-up for occurrence of CVE over a mean period of around 5 years. Pooled estimates indicated an excess risk of 42% for coronary heart disease and of 71% for stroke (Figure)

Conclusions. BX is associated with a higher risk of CVE, so cardiovascular screening should be implemented for BX patients. Although both BX and CVE share the pathophysiological mechanisms of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, data on their association is still poor and further translational studies are needed.