Coughs come and go, especially during cold and flu season. But if you have an ongoing cough with lots of mucus for several months, it could be more serious than a common cold. Bronchiectasis is a condition that is diagnosed when your lung’s airways become damaged and widened. With time, the airways cannot properly drain due to mucus buildup and repeated infections.

Bronchiectasis can become serious if left untreated. Thankfully, several options are available to help get your symptoms under control.

Common Bronchiectasis Symptoms

Bronchiectasis symptoms develop over time, gradually getting worse months or years after having lung infections.

If you have bronchiectasis, you may feel like you have two main symptoms: a cough and a buildup of mucus. Other symptoms include:

• chest pain
• coughing up blood
• fatigue
• fever
• shortness of breath
• thickened tissue underneath nails
• weight loss
• wheezing

Causes of Bronchiectasis

Bronchiectatis is often triggered by damage from another lung condition like cystic fibrosis, which leads to almost half of all cases. Other causes include:

• allergic lung diseases
• autoimmune disorders
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• chronic pulmonary aspiration
• immunodeficiency disorders
• inflammatory bowel disease

It is also possible to have bronchiectasis and not know why. The American Lung Association estimates about 40% of cases have no underlying cause.

Diagnosing Bronchiectasis

Bronchiectasis, which can cause a cough and labored breathing, shares symptoms with many other respiratory illnesses, including asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. As a result, bronchiectasis is often under-diagnosed. To get a proper diagnosis, see your physician for testing.

If your physician suspects you have bronchiectasis, he or she will perform a physical exam that includes listening to your lungs for clicking, wheezing, rattling or other abnormal sounds. Your physician may order tests, such as a lung function test, sputum culture or blood tests.

After ruling out other possible causes, your physician will likely order a chest X-ray or computed tomography. These diagnostic tests provide detailed images of your lungs, heart and airways to get a better look for damage.

If your condition is severe, your doctor may recommend a bronchoscopy. This technique uses a flexible, narrow tube inserted into the airways to find blockages and sources of infection.

Treatment for Bronchiectasis Symptoms

Treatment for bronchiectasis has several goals, including relieving symptoms, preventing chest infections, stopping the condition from worsening and improving your quality of life. Your provider may recommend these treatments:

• Bronchodilator inhalers. Bronchodilators relax the muscles around your airways and help you breathe easier. You will use an inhaler or nebulizer to breathe in the medicine.
• Chest physical therapy. A respiratory therapist will use his or her hands or a medical device to loosen mucus in the lungs. You will sit with your head tilted or lie on your stomach so gravity and force can help drain mucus.
• Lifestyle changes. Your physician will make sure you are staying hydrated, which helps prevents airway mucus from becoming thick and sticky. Your physician may also recommend regular exercise to clear mucus and help your lungs work better. Exercises such as walking and swimming help loosen mucus and may be good options for improving bronchiectasis.
• Medication. Your physician may prescribe antibiotics to treat recurrent lung infections. The provider may also have you take expectorants and mucus thinners, medicines that help loosen and clear mucus from the airways.
• Surgery. Surgery is typically a last resort treatment. Your health care provider will recommend it if all other treatments fail and you have major bleeding in your airway.

At CHRISTUS Health, our pulmonologists offer specialized lung services to help treat bronchiectasis.