ABSTRACT
Bronchiectasis refers to the pathologic lung condition in which the walls of medium-size bronchi are damaged and subsequently dilated. In the white population, the major cause of bronchiectasis is cystic fibrosis, whereas in other ethnic groups bronchiectasis is often of postinfectious or unknown etiology. Pathogenetic mechanisms have been postulated to be a combination of congenital and acquired processes. In the majority of cases, the pathogenetic components include chronic bronchial infection and persistent airway inflammation attributable to a vicious cycle of persistent host-defense mechanisms (1,2).
