We read with great interest the paper by Aliberti et al. [1] on the utility of sputum colour assessment in bronchiectasis. Through this large-scale analysis of the EMBARC (European Multicentre Bronchiectasis Audit and Research Collaboration) registry and a four-category sputum colour chart, the authors demonstrate that sputum purulence is strongly associated with disease severity, bacterial infection and poor clinical outcomes, including exacerbations, hospitalisations and mortality. This study emphasises the importance of this simple, non-invasive biomarker in identifying high-risk patients and guiding management decisions. In this correspondence, we provide two beneficial suggestions for future registry development.

我们饶有兴趣地阅读了 Aliberti等人的论文。 [1] 痰颜色评估在支气管扩张中的应用。通过对 EMBARC（欧洲多中心支气管扩张审计和研究合作组织）登记处和四类痰颜色图表的大规模分析，作者证明痰脓与疾病严重程度、细菌感染和不良临床结果（包括病情加重）密切相关、住院率和死亡率。这项研究强调了这种简单、非侵入性生物标志物在识别高危患者和指导管理决策方面的重要性。在这封信中，我们为未来注册管理机构的发展提供了两条有益的建议。