What is bronchiectasis?

Bronchiectasis (brong-kee-ek-tuh-suhs), or BE, is a chronic inflammatory lung disease

widens your airways, making it difficult to clear and bacteria. It’s progressive, meaning it can get worse over time, and it leads to permanent .

How is BE diagnosed?

The lung damage from BE is visible on a , with airways appearing widened. To diagnose BE, a will typically review your symptoms and request a CT scan if you haven’t had one recently.

BE symptoms can include:

Chronic cough

Excess mucus

Shortness of breath

Fatigue

Because many BE symptoms are similar to other conditions, it can sometimes take time to get a diagnosis.

Bronchiectasis flares and what they can mean for your health

If your BE symptoms worsen, it may be a sign you’re experiencing a , or exacerbation, as your doctor may call it.

A single BE flare can last up to a month and have a serious impact on your physical and emotional well-being. Flares can:

Make symptoms like coughing, shortness of breath, and fatigue worse
Lead to more flares

Lead to a loss of lung function

That’s why proactively reducing flares is an important part of treating BE.

Bronchiectasis has many causes

You could be at a higher risk for BE if you have certain medical conditions, such as:

Repeated respiratory infections, like pneumonia, TB, or NTM

A weakened immune system, like immunodeficiency disorders

Aspiration syndromes, like GERD

diseases, like RA or IBD

COPD or asthma

Inherited (genetic) disorders, like PCD or alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency

CT=computed tomography; GERD=gastroesophageal reflux disease; IBD=inflammatory bowel disease; NTM=nontuberculous mycobacteria; PCD=primary ciliary dyskinesia; RA=rheumatoid arthritis; TB=tuberculosis.

Suffering from unresolved symptoms? It could be bronchiectasis

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An interconnected cycle contributes to the development of bronchiectasis

BE progresses through a combination of factors inside the lungs:

airway inflammation

As your body’s immune system tries to clear infection and address inflammation in your lungs, this process can result in chronic irritation and swelling, or inflammation.

Lung infection

Increased mucus creates an attractive environment for bacteria to grow. This can lead to chronic infection, inflammation, and damage.

Difficulty clearing mucus

As mucus builds up in the airways, it becomes difficult to clear, creating an attractive environment for bacteria to grow.

Lung damage

In BE, airways are abnormally widened and damaged, which makes it difficult to clear mucus from the airways.

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