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What is Bronchiectasis? |
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Symptoms
Bronchiectasis is a lung ailment that can reduce the amount of oxygen which is distributed to the body’s organs; it can affect a single section of the lungs or multiple sections of both lungs. Though the condition usually starts early on in childhood, the symptoms for such may not surface until the recurrence of lung infections like tuberculosis. The usual symptoms of bronchiectasis include a persistent cough which can last for years, a constant production of excessive amounts of phlegm, labored breathing, wheezing fits, and chest pains. These may worsen over time, and the patient may cough up blood or bloody phlegm, or experience weight loss, feebleness, and blocked sinuses. In severe cases, bronchiectasis leads to a collapsed lung, a brain abscess, and heart failure.
Causes
Bronchiectasis is a result of an incurred injury to the lung’s lower air ducts. The conditions which can cause such trauma is commonly associated with cystic fibrosis, accounting for about half of all cases. Severe pneumonia, tuberculosis and other respiratory infections, and immunodeficiency disorders like AIDS and HIV are also significant contributors. Rarer conditions include an allergic reaction to aspergillus (a variety of fungi), causing inflammation of airways; Kartagener's Syndrome, a disease that interferes with the mucous-clearing function of the hair-like protrusions which line the airways (cilia); and whooping cough. Secondary causes of bronchiectasis may involve an obstruction of an airway by a non-malignant tumor, an inhaled foreign object, or a fungal outbreak.
Diagnosis
Even in the advanced phases, the symptoms of bronchiectasis are very similar to those of even the most minor respiratory diseases, and in order to reach a diagnosis, the doctor has to single out the disease from everything else. Bronchiectasis is suspected if the patient experiences daily coughing fits which excretes excessive amounts of mucus; the doctor follows through by conducting a series of tests, in an effort to identify the underlying cause, and to ascertain the extent of lung damage. The most commonly-employed techniques for this purpose may involve a chest x-ray or a CT scan, where images of the scarring and infection of the interior walls of the airways are evident. The doctor may also conduct blood tests, sputum culturing, and lung function tests as a secondary measure.
Treatment Info
Medication and chest physical therapy are the two main treatment options for bronchiectasis. The drugs may be in the form of antibiotics (for the treatment of recurring respiratory infections), bronchodilators (to relax the muscles surrounding the airways and open them), corticosteroids (to minimize inflammation), mucus thinners like acetylcysteine, expectorants (which help in loosening respiratory mucus), and saline nasal solutions for managing sinusitis. Chest physical therapy basically involves firmly pounding the patient’s chest and back in quick succession, in order to assist the lungs in coughing up the mucus. This procedure is usually done three times a day, in a lying position, and either with hands or an assistive device, such as an electric clapper, an inflatable therapy vest, a flutter device, or an expiratory mask. The patient may also loosen the mucus through controlled breathing techniques, such as forced expiration followed by relaxed breathing, or with repetitive deep breathing exercises.
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