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Jun 24, 2023 · Mayo Clinic offers specialized care for people with bronchiectasis and other chronic and difficult-to-treat lung conditions. Learn about the clinic's services, locations, conditions treated and national recognition.
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Bronchiectasis is a condition where damage causes the tubes in your lungs (airways) to widen or develop pouches. It makes it hard to clear mucus out of your lungs and can cause frequent infections. Coughing a lot with pus and mucus is the main symptom of bronchiectasis. Bronchiectasis can’t be cured but can be managed with treatment.
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What are the symptoms of bronchiectasis?
Symptoms of bronchiectasis include: Cough with lots of mucus and pus. Repeated colds. Bad-smelling mucus. Shortness of breath (dyspnea). Wheezing. Coughing up blood (hemoptysis). Swollen fingertips with curved nails (nail clubbing). You might have stretches of time where your symptoms aren’t as bad and then have a flare-up (exacerbation) where your symptoms get worse. Exacerbation symptoms include: Extreme tiredness (fatigue). Fever, chills. Increased shortness of breath. Night sweats.
What causes bronchiectasis?
Bronchiectasis is caused by two phases of airway damage. In the first phase, the initial damage (or “insult”) is caused by an infection, inflammatory disorder or another condition that affects your lungs. Healthcare providers don’t know the initial cause in up to 40% of people with bronchiectasis. The first insult makes you more likely to get inflammation and repeated infections that cause further damage to your lungs. This is the second phase, or the “vicious cycle.”
What diseases cause bronchiectasis?
Some of the specific causes of the initial damage (“insult”) which starts the cycle of bronchiectasis include: Cystic fibrosis. Mycobacterial infections, like MAC infections or tuberculosis (TB). Autoimmune or inflammatory disorders, like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), lupus (SLE) and Sjögren's syndrome. Foreign bodies, tumors or lymph nodes that block airways and prevent mucus clearance. Conditions that decrease immunity and increase risk of infections (like HIV and hypogammaglobulinemia). Primary ciliary dyskinesia Organ transplant. Transplant medications decrease immunity and can increase risk of infection and bronchiectasis. Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), an allergy to a type of fungus. Fibrosis (scarring) from radiation. Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
How is bronchiectasis diagnosed?
A healthcare provider will diagnose bronchiectasis by examining you and asking you about your health history. They’ll listen to your lungs and test how well they’re working. If they think you have bronchiectasis or another lung condition, they’ll order imaging tests to look at the structure of your lungs.
What tests will be done to diagnose bronchiectasis?
A healthcare provider may perform a number of tests to diagnose bronchiectasis or rule out other conditions, including: Chest CT scan or X-ray. A provider uses a machine to take pictures of your lungs to see if your airways are damaged. Blood tests and sputum cultures. A provider takes samples of your blood or mucus (sputum) to find out if you have an infection. Lung function tests. A provider uses lung function tests to determine how well your lungs are working. You’ll breathe into a machine that measures your lung function. Genetic testing. A provider may take samples of your blood or other body fluid to test for diseases. Sweat chloride test. If a provider thinks you could have cystic fibrosis, they'll perform a sweat test. They'll make your arm or leg sweat, collect a sample and test it for signs of cystic fibrosis. Bronchoscopy. In some cases, a provider may use a procedure to look more closely at your airways (bronchoscopy). They’ll use a bronchoscope (a long flexible tube with a light and camera at the end) to find and remove anything blocking your airways and get samples of mucus or pus from your lungs for testing.
How is bronchiectasis treated?
Bronchiectasis can’t be fully cured, but you can treat the symptoms. Healthcare providers treat bronchiectasis by clearing mucus and managing infections. Depending on the severity of your condition, your provider might prescribe medication or physical therapy. You may also use medical devices that help get rid of mucus. If bronchiectasis is caused by an underlying condition, treating that condition may help your symptoms. If you have a small area of bronchiectasis, your provider might recommend surgery, though this is rare.
What treatments are used for bronchiectasis?
Bronchiectasis treatments help get rid of infected mucus, kill bacteria and decrease inflammation. They include: Antibiotics. Antibiotics can treat infections caused by bacteria. You can take antibiotics in pill form, but if you have a severe infection, a provider will use an IV to give you antibiotics directly into your bloodstream. Providers also often prescribe inhaled antibiotics for bronchiectasis. You may use a nebulizer for inhaled medications, which makes the medicine into a mist that you breathe in. Macrolides. Macrolides are drugs that treat infections and inflammation at the same time. Expectorant and mucolytics. These are medications that thin mucus and help you cough it out. These are available over-the-counter or by prescription. Physical therapy. Postural draining and chest percussion therapy can help loosen and remove mucus. Breathing exercises can help open up your airways. Medical devices. Oscillating positive expiratory pressure (PEP) devices and percussive vests break up and pull mucus out from your lungs.
What foods should you avoid if you have bronchiectasis?
What you eat doesn’t seem to directly impact bronchiectasis. For instance, you may have heard that avoiding things like milk can help lower the amount of mucus in your lungs, but research hasn’t shown this to be true. What’s most important is to maintain good nutrition. You might find yourself losing an unhealthy amount of weight or have other concerns about your diet. Ask for a dietitian if you have concerns about healthy eating with bronchiectasis. Care at Cleveland Clinic Bronchiectasis Treatment Find A Doctor and Specialists Make an Appointment
How can I reduce my risk of bronchiectasis?
You can reduce your risk of developing bronchiectasis by managing your lung health: Make sure you and your family are up-to-date on recommended vaccinations. Pertussis, the flu, pneumococcal disease, measles and staph infections can all cause or worsen bronchiectasis. Work with your healthcare provider to treat any ongoing health conditions, especially ones that affect your lungs. Keep your appointments and stick to your treatment plan. Talk to your provider if you feel like medications or therapies aren’t working. Avoid breathing in things that can hurt your lungs, like cigarette smoke, vaping, fumes and gases.
What can I expect if I have bronchiectasis?
Bronchiectasis can’t be cured — the damage it causes is irreversible. But most people can manage the symptoms of bronchiectasis with strategies recommended by their healthcare provider. Your outlook will depend on how severe your condition is, how well you respond to treatment and what other health conditions you have. You may need to practice physical therapies or take medications daily. More severe cases may impact your quality of life.
What is the life expectancy for bronchiectasis?
With proper treatment, most people with bronchiectasis can expect to live as long as someone without it. A history of smoking and low lung function can lower your life expectancy.
How do I take care of myself with bronchiectasis?
Managing ongoing conditions and your overall health can help you take care of yourself with bronchiectasis. Don’t smoke. Smoking damages your lungs and can put you at higher risk of dying from bronchiectasis. Ask your healthcare provider if you need help quitting. Follow the daily maintenance therapy that your provider recommends. Treat exacerbations quickly. Eat a healthy diet. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. This helps keep mucus loose so you can clear it from your lungs. Follow a regular exercise routine to keep your lungs healthy. Get a flu shot every year and the pneumonia vaccine as recommended by your doctor. Practice good hand-washing habits and take other steps to avoid getting infectious diseases.
When should I see my healthcare provider about bronchiectasis?
Talk to your healthcare provider if you’ve been coughing with a lot of mucus for several weeks or if you feel short of breath. If you have been diagnosed with bronchiectasis, you should contact your healthcare provider if you: Have signs of infection, like a fever or chills. Have more trouble breathing than usual. Are much more tired than usual. Are losing weight unintentionally. Are coughing up more mucus, mucus with blood in it or mucus that is yellow or green. You don’t have an appetite.
What questions should I ask my healthcare provider?
Do you know what caused my bronchiectasis? How can I prevent further damage? How can I manage exacerbations? When should I follow-up with you? What symptoms should cause me to go to the ER? A note from Cleveland Clinic In most cases, bronchiectasis shouldn’t keep you from living a full life. Talk to your provider about bothersome symptoms and how to deal with exacerbations. They may not be able to take care of every symptom, but sometimes small changes can greatly improve your quality of life. Medically Reviewed Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 08/06/2022. Learn more about our editorial process.
What is bronchiectasis? Bronchiectasis is a lung disease that usually results from an infection or other condition that injures the walls of the airways in your lungs. This injury is the beginning of a cycle in which your airways slowly lose their ability to clear out mucus, resulting in mucus buildup and an environment in which bacteria can grow.
Aug 11, 2022 · Bronchiectasis is a chronic lung disease that damages the airways and makes it harder to breathe. Learn about the symptoms, causes, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and outlook of bronchiectasis from WebMD.
Jan 12, 2024 · How Is Bronchiectasis Treated? The goal of bronchiectasis treatment is to treat any underlying conditions, prevent lung infections, remove excess mucus, and prevent flare-ups, also called exacerbations. This is done with a combination of medication, hydration and chest physical therapy.
Bronchiectasis is a chronic lung condition where the walls of your airways (bronchi) widen and are thickened from inflammation and infection. Early diagnosis and treatment of bronchiectasis and any underlying condition is important for preventing further damage to your lungs.
Jul 1, 2022 · In bronchiectasis, the walls of the bronchial tubes, which carry air into and out of the lungs, are injured, becoming enlarged. They slowly lose their ability to clear out mucus, which in healthy lungs helps remove inhaled dust, bacteria and other small particles, according to Mayo Clinic patient education information.
