Bronchiectasis is a condition in which the airways of the lungs become abnormally widened, leading to a build-up of excess mucus. It can be caused by cystic fibrosis (CF), and experts usually categorize the condition as cases either due to CF or not.

The study investigated the association between the residential distance to a main road and the number of deaths in a group of 189 people with NCFB between June 2006 and October 2012.

The researchers used hazard ratios to estimate the risk of death. The findings showed that participants were less likely to die from bronchiectasis the further they lived from a major road (hazard ratio 0.36 for every tenfold increase in distance to a major road).

Our results are the first to link air pollution with the risk of death in people with bronchiectasis and adds to a number of other studies showing the dangers of living close to a busy road. The findings of this study should encourage policymakers to make air quality a key focus of transport policies and consider the proximity of main roads to residential areas.

—Pieter Goeminne, lead author

Resources

• Impact of chronic air pollution exposure on non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis: Hit the road? P. Goeminne, E. Bijnens, B. Nemery, T. Nawrot, L. Dupont (Leuven, Hasselt, Belgium)