Yes, airways in bronchiectasis can collapse, even with thickened walls, because the damage destroys the elastic structure that keeps them open, leading to air trapping and ineffective coughing, often alongside widening (bronchial dilation). This collapse, known as tracheobronchomalacia (EDAC), happens because the damaged, floppy airways can't stay open, especially during exhalation, worsening symptoms like breathlessness and air trapping.
Bronchiectasis may affect many areas of the lung (diffuse bronchiectasis), or it may appear in only one or two areas (focal bronchiectasis). Typically, bronchiectasis causes widening of medium-sized airways, but often smaller airways become scarred and destroyed.
Bronchiectasis can also lead to other serious health conditions, including collapsed lung, heart failure and brain abscess.
The most common symptoms of bronchiectasis include: A daily cough that occurs over at least 8 weeks. Daily production of large amounts of sputum (a mix of saliva and fluid from the lungs) that is coughed up and may have mucus, trapped particles, and pus.
Gas trapping and diffusion impairment are more common than airflow obstruction. Static volumes in bronchiectasis are reduced in response to bronchodilators. Air trapping reversibility is much more common than FEV1's (17.6 vs 4.3%). Reversibility of air trapping is related to worse lung function.
A ground-breaking discovery. However, Professor Chalmers has discovered the world's first tailored therapy for bronchiectasis - a new drug called brensocatib. The drug was tested on people living with bronchiectasis and showed it can make a real improvement to their lung health, reducing inflammation and flare-ups.
Damage caused by severe bronchiectasis can lead to life-threatening complications, including: Respiratory failure. If your lungs aren't working properly, you might not be able to get enough oxygen to your blood and tissues, causing respiratory failure.
Coughing up mucus is a common symptom.
The most common symptom of bronchiectasis is a chronic cough that produces a lot of mucus. Other signs and symptoms include: Shortness of breath. Chest congestion.
Diagnosis of bronchiectasis is usually made using chest computed tomography (CT) scan, the current gold standard method. A bronchiectatic airway can show abnormal widening and thickening of its airway wall.
Bronchiectasis flare-ups can also be caused by: Respiratory infections, like colds, flu, COVID-19 or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Antibiotics will not help treat flare-ups caused by respiratory infections because they're caused by viruses, not bacteria. Environmental factors, like air pollution.
If supplemental oxygen is used, it is appropriate to maintain a saturation of >92%. The addition of oxygen therapy to a patient's management plan should be determined by a comprehensive clinical assessment, not just the requirement of an increase in PaO2.
People with bronchiectasis can become more breathless because of the narrowing in the airways. Breathlessness may make you more reluctant to exercise which causes you to lose fitness and muscle strength.
Medicines for bronchiectasis
Your care team will give you instructions on when to take them. If you get more than 3 chest infections a year, a specialist may recommend you take antibiotics long term to help prevent them. You may also be offered other medicines, such as inhalers to help your breathing.
2) It is best to avoid travelling during periods of unstable disease, such as during exacerbations (92% agreement). 3) People with bronchiectasis should consult their healthcare providers and plan for travel (85% agreement).
Bronchiectasis is a chronic lung disease identified by persistent and lifelong widening of the bronchial airways and weakening of the function mucociliary transport mechanism due to repeated infection.
Bronchodilators relax the muscles around your airways. This helps open your airways and makes breathing easier. Most bronchodilators are inhaled medicines. You will use an inhaler or a nebulizer to breathe in a fine mist of medicine.
HRCT or a high-resolution computed tomography scan is the most common and reliable way to check for bronchiectasis. This noninvasive test takes pictures of the airways and other structures in the chest to assess the extent of lung damage.
Antibiotics are the most common treatment for bronchiectasis. Oral and sometimes inhaled antibiotics are used to treat most infections. An infection that does not get better with oral antibiotics may require intravenous (IV) antibiotics.
In this study, HRCT chest showed 91% sensitivity, 90% specificity, 83% PPV, 84% NPV and 94% diagnostic accuracy in the detection of COVID-19 infection by taking PCR as gold standard.
FDA approval of Brensocatib in August 2025 as first therapy for bronchiectasis. Selective DPP-1 inhibition reduces neutrophil-driven airway inflammation. ASPEN and WILLOW trials showed fewer exacerbations and slower lung function decline.
Other causes of bronchiectasis can include: Cystic fibrosis, a disease that causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs. Autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren syndrome, or inflammatory bowel disease.
This sticky environment becomes a breeding ground for infections, which can then spread to other parts of the respiratory system and beyond. For this reason, recurrent lung infections are one of the most common complications of bronchiectasis.
Hallmarks of severe bronchiectasis include fetid breath, chronic cough, and sputum production. The associated chronic respiratory infections and airway sepsis are punctuated by episodes of acute exacerbation.
Dangerous Lung Diseases