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Cystic fibrosis (CF) typically follows a more severe clinical course than non-CF bronchiectasis. Despite this recognized difference, the underpinnings of respiratory biology support a common pathogeneses of the anatomic deformations of bronchiectasis. This article reviews the observed manifestations among the related diseases of bronchiectasis and CF and discusses some of their similarities and differences. As more details of the mechanisms of bronchiectasis are unveiled, more parallels among the seemingly disparate causes of CF and non-CF bronchiectasis are recognized. With these insights, more opportunities to halt the vicious circle have become apparent.

Bronchiectasis in women may act more virulently. Identified gender and sex differences range from increased exposure risks to altered inflammatory responses. Common among the most well-documented examples is a differential immune response. There is sufficient evidence to suggest that chronic airway infection, most notably non-CF bronchiectasis, is a more common and more virulent disease in women. This is particularly evident in CF-and non-HIV-related environmental mycobacterial respiratory tract infections. Whether this represents an inflammatory-immune process, or environmental, anatomic, or other genetic difference remains to be detailed fully.