What is Bronchiectasis?
(Editor’s Note: Due to requests from our readers, we are publishing again this article of Dr. Bryan Cepedoza about Bronchiectasis.)
Bronchiectasisis a pulmonary disease people should be aware of. It is characterized by chronic cough associated with increase in phlegm production.
A patient with this pulmonary disease will realize that his air passage or bronchi will be abnormally thick due to recurrent inflammations.
These inflammations also cause the destruction of bronchial cilia, the hair-like structures that are found in the wall of the bronchi which help move mucus out of the lungs.
In the Philippines, the most common causes of bronchiectasis are tuberculosis and pneumonia.
The other causes of bronchiectasis include: repeated aspiration of particles like food, fluids and stomach acid.
The following are the symptoms of bronchiectasis:
1. cough with copious sputum
2. chest pain due to dyspnea
3. clubbing of nails
4. wheezing sound when you breathe
5. weight loss.
The diagnostic test for bronchiectasis include:
1. chest CT- scan considered the gold standard for diagnosing bronchiectasis
2. a lung function test to determine the health status of one’s lungs.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for bronchiectasis. However, its symptoms can be improved with inhaled corticosteroid and bronchodilator like salbutamol.
Sometimes, doctors will prescribe antibiotics on top of the patient’s maintenance medications once symptoms worsen especially if his/her sputum becomes purulent (that which exhibits a yellowish color).
So how can bronchiectasis be prevented?
As said earlier, pneumonia and tuberculosis (TB) are the most common causes of bronchiectasis in our country. For this reason, vaccination against TB and pneumonia is the best way to prevent bronchiectasis.
It is important to get medical treatment right away if one develops any kind of lung infection. Any severe lung infection can result to bronchiectasis.
The prognosis of bronchiectasis is better now than it used to be. People who religiously take their medicines can live a normal life.
What are tips for living well with bronchiectasis?
First of all, do not smoke. It is also best to take religiously the prescribed medications. Moreover, a healthy diet and exercise are important.
So, make it a point to get a flu vaccine every year and pneumonia vaccine as prescribed by your doctor.
Finally, a patient with bronchiectasis is likely to have severe Coronavirus disease symptoms if he/she gets infected with the virus. Thus, Covid vaccination is highly recommended among bronchiectasis patients.