Posted 8 months ago by Wales Gene Park
Brief Summary: Patients with bronchiectasis (BE) suffer from a persistent cough, daily sputum expectoration, recurrent chest infections, and a poor health-related quality of life. Current guidelines for the management of BE highlight the lack of evidence to recommend mucoactive agents, such as hypertonic saline (HTS) and carbocisteine, to aid sputum-removal as part of standard care. The investigators hypothesise that mucoactive agents (HTS or cabocisteine, or a combination of both) are effective in reducing exacerbations over a 52-week period, compared to usual care. Detailed Description: Mucus hypersecretion is a clinical feature of BE. This mucus-retention aids bacterial infection that can lead to pulmonary exacerbations, which further develops the "viscous cycle" of mucus-retention, infection, inflammation and tissue damage. Mucoactive drugs target this cycle by potentially increasing the ability to expectorate sputum and/or decrease mucus hypersecretion. The current guidelines indicate that mucoactives in combination with airway clearance may be considered to enhance sputum...