What is bronchiectasis?
Bronchiectasis (BE) is a disease where your airways become permanently widened, making it harder for you to clear mucus and bacteria. Symptoms of BE can include coughing, mucus production, lung infections, and flares. It’s a chronic and progressive disease, which means it can affect you long-term and may get worse over time, causing lung damage. BE is commonly diagnosed by a pulmonologist, who will review your medical history, including your current symptoms, and confirm BE with a CT scan.
See healthy airways compared to airways with BE
See healthy airways compared to airways with BE
An interconnected cycle contributes to the development of BE
The main factors include inflammation, difficulty clearing mucus from the lungs, lung infection, and lung damage.
When choosing a treatment for BE, it is important to work with your doctor to address all factors as each factor can lead to the worsening of the others. See how in the diagram below.
Who is at risk for bronchiectasis?
BE develops for many reasons, and they can differ from person to person. Certain medical conditions put people at risk, such as:
COPD or asthma
Repeated respiratory infections, like pneumonia, TB, or NTM lung disease
Inflammatory diseases, like RA or IBD
A weakened immune system, like immunodeficiency disorders
Aspiration syndromes, like GERD
Inherited (genetic) disorders, like PCD or alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
Did you know? More than 1 in 4 people with COPD could also have bronchiectasis.*
*Studies have shown a range of 26% to 69% of people.
GERD=gastroesophageal reflux disease; IBD=inflammatory bowel disease; NTM=nontuberculous mycobacteria; PCD=primary ciliary dyskinesia; RA=rheumatoid arthritis; TB=tuberculosis.
What are the symptoms of bronchiectasis?
Bronchiectasis symptoms can look like those from other lung conditions. Some common symptoms of BE are:
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Coughing
Mucus production, which may contain blood or be hard to cough up
Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, or wheezing
Fatigue
Fever, chills, and/or body aches
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Frequent lung infections
Chest pain
When surveyed about their symptoms, people with BE shared concerns about having a constant cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue, and feeling misunderstood, embarrassed, and anxious about the potential for future BE flares.
Many BE symptoms overlap with other conditions, which is why there may be a delay in diagnosis.
If your BE symptoms are worsening, it could be a BE flare. Your doctor may call them exacerbations, and they are common in BE. It is important to have a conversation with your doctor to get your questions about BE answered and to create a management plan that works for you.
Prepare for your next doctor’s visit by learning more and finding important questions to ask.
