A literature review of bronchiectasis studies concluded that its economic burden is significant but likely to be underestimated.
A total of 26 publications were identified that reported resource use and costs associated with management of bronchiectasis. Two US studies reported total costs of approximately US$26,000 in patients without exacerbations, increasing to US$36,00–37,000 in patients with exacerbations.
However, the true economic burden of bronchiectasis is likely to be underestimated because most studies were retrospective, used ICD-9-CM coding to identify patients, and often ignored outpatient burden and cost.
