What is bronchiectasis?
Bronchiectasis is a condition in which the airways widen due to damage. Against the background of the pathological process, the body has difficulty expelling mucus from the lungs, and repeated infections develop.
The main symptom of bronchiectasis is coughing up large amounts of pus and mucus.
Bronchiectasis cannot be cured, but it can be managed with appropriate treatment.
Bronchiectasis and bronchitis have similar symptoms, but the difference is that when bronchiectasis is diagnosed, the airways are permanently widened, while in the case of bronchitis, this process is temporary and does not leave serious traces in the lungs.
You are at risk for bronchiectasis if you have a history of any disease that affects the lungs or immune system. If you have no history of disease, that is, you are considered a practically healthy person, the risk factor is age, that is, increasing age, old age should be considered.
Bronchiectasis can be mild or severe - some people have this pathology and do not even know about it.
Bronchiectasis is characterized by the following symptoms:
- Coughing up a large amount of mucus and pus;
- Frequent colds;
- Mucus with an unpleasant odor;
- Shortness of breath;
- Coughing up blood;
- Swelling of the fingers;
- Wheezing;
- Night sweats;
- Fever, chills;
- Severe fatigue.
Bronchiectasis develops in two phases:
- The first phase is lung damage due to infection, inflammatory disease or other pathology;
- The second phase is repeated infections, which further damage the lung structure.
In 40% of clinical cases, the underlying cause of bronchiectasis remains unknown.
Source:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21144-bronchiectasis
