Background Bronchiectasis is predominantly an acquired disease process that represents
the end stage of a variety of unrelated pulmonary insults. It is defined as persistent
irreversible dilatation and distortion of medium‐sized bronchi. It has been suggested that
with widespread use of high‐resolution computed tomography, more bronchiectasis
diagnoses are being made. Patients diagnosed with bronchiectasis frequently have difficulty
expectorating sputum. Sputum therefore is retained in the lungs and may become infected …

Background Bronchiectasis is usually characterised by the production of large quantities of
sputum that patients frequently have difficulty in expectorating. Mucolytic agents target hyper-
secretion or changed physiochemical properties of sputum to make it easier to clear. One
drug, recombinant human DNase, breaks down the DNA that is released at the site of
infection by neutrophils. Objectives The objective of this review was to assess the effects of
ingested or inhaled mucolytics in patients with bronchiectasis.