Prolonged antibiotic use shows beneficial effects on reducing exacerbations and hospitalizations in patients with bronchiectasis, according to a study published in The Cochrane Library. It is thought that prolonged antibiotic use may address the vicious cycle hypothesis in bronchiectasis.

The vicious cycle in bronchiectasis describes how patients have lung infections due to damage from lung infections.

Since some bacteria can be killed by antibiotics, antibiotics are a common treatment for bronchiectasis. However, the benefits of prolonged antibiotic therapy in bronchiectasis patients had not been explored previous to this new study.