Bronchiectasis

Question 1

What is Bronchiectasis?

Answer 1

A long-term condition where the airways of the lungs become widened, leading to a build-up of excess mucus that can make the lungs more vulnerable to infection.

Question 2

What are the triad of symptoms for Bronchiectasis?

Answer 2

• Chronic cough
• Excess purulent sputum production
• Repeated infections

Question 3

What are the causes of Bronchiectasis?

Answer 3

• Smoking.
• Severe lung infection (e.g Pneumonia or Tuberculosis).
• Childhood diseases (i.e measles, whooping cough).
• Immunodeficiency.
• Inhaled foreign bodies.
• Gastric reflux.
• Inflammatory bowel disease (e.g Crohns, ulcerative disease).
• Arthritis.
• Severe allergic response to fungus or moulds.
• Can be genetic or acquired.
• Congenital-primary ciliary dyskinesia or cystic fibrosis.
• No known cause.