Mutagenic damage among bronchiectasis patients attending in the pulmonology sector of a hospital in southern Brazil.

Objective: Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by inflammation, irreversible dilation of the bronchi, and recurrent pulmonary infections, with a high morbidity and mortality rate, but is less studied from the point of view of its prevalence and associated factors not directly related to respiratory prognosis. As it is a disease related to the exacerbation of the inflammatory process and oxidative stress, this study searched to investigate the micronucleus frequency in patients with and without bronchiectasis treated at a specialized pulmonology service in a hospital in the extreme south of Brazil.

Methods: Patients with a confirmed tomographic diagnosis of bronchiectasis were defined as cases. Mutagenicity was evaluated by the micronucleus test in patients' oral mucosa cells. Data collection was performed through a questionnaire containing socioeconomic, demographic, lifestyle, and health condition information.

Results: Of the 95 patients involved in this study, 21 (22.1%) were diagnosed with bronchiectasis aged between 12 and 89 years. There was no significant difference in the frequency of micronucleus between patients with and without bronchiectasis. There was a significant positive association between age and frequency of micronucleus among patients with bronchiectasis, but this association does not occur among patients without the disease.

Conclusion: This is the first study to investigate data on the prevalence and clinical and epidemiological aspects of this chronic disease in Brazil, especially those related to the genotoxicity outcome.