CT scan of bronchiectasis (BE)

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 icon

Chronic cough

Excess mucus icon

Excess mucus

Shortness of breath icon

Shortness of breath

Fatigue icon

Fatigue

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

Bronchiectasis (BE) flare icon

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.
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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:

Bronchiectasis (BE) interconnected cycle icon
Neutrophil inflammation icon

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.

Bacteria infection icon

Lung infection

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

Difficulty clearing mucus icon

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 icon

Lung damage

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

Ask about BRINSUPRI

Ready to talk to your pulmonologist about your BE management plan? The BE Management Tool can help.

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IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION AND INDICATION

Before taking BRINSUPRI, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

  • have recently received or are scheduled to receive any live attenuated vaccinations.

  • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BRINSUPRI will harm your unborn baby.

  • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if BRINSUPRI passes into your breast milk. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby during this time.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Do not change or stop your medicines unless your healthcare provider tells you to.

BRINSUPRI may cause serious side effects including:

  • Skin problems. Tell your healthcare provider about any new skin symptoms. Your healthcare provider may send you to a dermatologist for an examination, if needed. 

  • Dental problems. Get regular dental checkups while taking BRINSUPRI. Brush and clean your teeth as recommended by your dentist. Tell your healthcare provider and contact your dentist if you experience new gum (gingival) or teeth (dental) symptoms.

Common side effects of BRINSUPRI

The most common side effects of BRINSUPRI include upper respiratory tract infection, headache, rash, dry skin, small areas of skin thickening (hyperkeratosis), and high blood pressure (hypertension).

Less common side effects include abnormal liver blood test, hair loss (alopecia), and skin cancers.

These are not all of the possible side effects of BRINSUPRI.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

What is BRINSUPRI?

BRINSUPRI is a prescription medicine used to treat non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB) in adults and children 12 years of age and older. It is not known if BRINSUPRI is safe and effective in children under 12 years of age.

Please see full Prescribing Information and Patient Information.