Introduction: We wished to elucidate if bronchiectasis disease (BE) had increased risk of  COVID-associated outcome or increased exposure risk factors.

Methods: Between 1.1.2020-31.12.2020, all Danish adult patients with an ICD9-code of BE (n=15.020) were matched with controls 1:10 according to age, gender and region (municipality) and followed until positive SARS-CoV2 PCR (PCR+). The PCR+ risk among BE was analyzed. Then BE patients with PCR+ were similarly matched 1:10. Hazard risk (HR) of hospital admittance and mortality was controlled for the confounders of comorbidity, socio-economic group, use of steroids (ICS or SCS), and m2/ resident, using multivariate analysis.

Results: Residence density was associated to PCR+ (p<0.001). In the multivariate model, PCR+ was not significantly different in the BE group (p=0.145), but was associated to age (HR=0.98), to high-income group (HR=1.35), hypertension (HR=1.17), COPD (HR=1.26), and diabetes (HR=1.23).

PCR+ BE patients had a significantly higher proportion with COPD, asthma, diabetes, pulmonary fibrosis, and upper tertile income group. The 90-day mortality was not associated to BE (p=0.43); was associated to high-income (HR=0.250), and middle-income (HR=0.46); to age (HR=1.11;), diabetes (HR=2.18), high dosed SCS (HR=3.52), male gender (HR=1.83), hypertension (HR=1.69), and stroke (HR=1.67).  30 day COVID hospital admission was associated to BE (HR=2.03), COPD (HR=2.02), medium dose SCS (HR=1.90), ICS (HR=1.97), cancer (HR=1.43), age (HR=1.01), diabetes (HR=1.37), hypertension (HR=1.34), to asthma (HR=1.40), and to high-income (HR=0.80). 

Conclusion: In this population, PCR+ in BE was associated to 30 day hospital admission, but not 90-day mortality.