The damage to the lungs associated with bronchiectasis is permanent, but treatment can help prevent the condition getting worse. In most cases, treatment involves a combination of medication, exercises you can learn and devices to help clear your airways.
Stay hydrated, drinking plenty of water to help prevent mucus build-up. Be diligent about taking oral and inhaled medications and performing mucus clearance techniques daily. Staying up to date on vaccinations. Take antibiotics for one to two weeks during flare-ups.
Bronchiectasis results when inflammatory and infectious damage to the bronchial and bronchiolar walls leads to a vicious cycle of airway injury. On the basis of the classic characteristic, that is, permanent bronchial dilatation, bronchiectasis is generally considered irreversible in the adult population.
Currently, bronchiectasis has no cure. However, with proper care, most people who have it can enjoy a good quality of life. Early diagnosis and treatment of bronchiectasis is important.
If you're well enough to be treated at home, you'll probably be prescribed 2 to 3 antibiotic tablets a day for 10 to 14 days. It's important to finish the course even if you feel better, as stopping the course prematurely could cause the infection to come back.
Pertussis, the flu, pneumococcal disease, measles and staph infections can all cause or worsen bronchiectasis. Work with your healthcare provider to treat any ongoing health conditions, especially ones that affect your lungs. Keep your appointments and stick to your treatment plan.
Avoid Lung Irritants
Where possible, avoid being in environments with secondhand smoke, pollution, chemical fumes, dust particles and other substances which may be harmful to lungs.
If properly treated and monitored, most people with bronchiectasis have a normal life expectancy. People with bronchiectasis are more likely to die because of other medical conditions that affect all people (like heart disease or cancer) than to die directly from bronchiectasis.
Bronchiectasis is often brought on by damage from another condition that affects the lungs. Even an airway blockage, like a growth or a noncancerous tumor, can lead to bronchiectasis. Though it is most often linked to cystic fibrosis, many other conditions can trigger bronchiectasis such as: Autoimmune disease.
Living with bronchiectasis can be stressful and frustrating, but most people with the condition have a normal life expectancy. For people with very severe symptoms, however, bronchiectasis can be fatal if the lungs stop working properly.
Any form of exercise that makes you a little breathless, such as walking and swimming is extremely beneficial for people with bronchiectasis. It may help you to clear your chest and will improve your overall fitness.
If bronchiectasis has caused severe lung damage and your symptoms have become debilitating, your NYU Langone pulmonologist may recommend surgery. Doctors generally recommend surgery when damage is limited to one area of the airways, making it easier to remove through a surgical procedure.
Stay hydrated always
Drinking plenty of water will not help keep you hydrated, but also assisting in thinning the mucus for easier removal. Drink around 6 to 8 glasses of water daily and spread over the entire day.
Albuterol, also known as salbutamol, is used to prevent and treat shortness of breath, breathing difficulties, wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness caused by lung diseases such as bronchiectasis.
Insmed's brensocatib has been granted breakthrough therapy designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of adults with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis.
Symptoms of bronchiectasis can take months or years to develop, and gradually become worse. The two primary symptoms are a cough and daily production of mucus (sputum).
Cystic bronchiectasis is the most severe form and exhibits saccular dilatation of bronchi. Bronchial dilatation is the hallmark of bronchiectasis and is evaluated in relation to the accompanying pulmonary artery.
In fact, respiratory related deaths have been known to be a major cause of death in bronchiectasis [9, 19, 20].
If the lungs become infected again, this can result in further inflammation and further widening of the bronchi. As this cycle is repeated, the damage to the lungs gets progressively worse. How quickly bronchiectasis progresses can vary significantly.
Increasing age is recognized as an independent risk factor for bronchiectasis severity.
Bronchiectasis complications include pneumonia, lung abscess, empyema, septicemia, cor pulmonale, respiratory failure, secondary amyloidosis with nephrotic syndrome, and recurrent pleurisy.
It is important that you take your medications as prescribed, even when you aren't experiencing a flare-up. Taking medications regularly can help make it easier to breathe and slow down the damage bronchiectasis can do to your lungs.
Having fatigue doesn't mean you have very severe bronchiectasis - it can be a symptom across all stages. People who have bronchiectasis often say that fatigue can be worse when they feel an exacerbation or infection coming on. If you have recognised this, you may have found that this is an early warning sign for you.