Bronchiectasis - What are the symptoms?

Bronchiectasis has some unpleasant symptoms that can make you or your child feel ill and tired. But there are treatments that can help you cope.

The main symptom of bronchiectasis is coughing up a lot of mucus (also called sputum).[1] You might cough up as much as half a litre (about a pint) of mucus in a day.[2]

The mucus may:[3]

Be yellow or green if it is infected
Have blood in it.

If your mucus looks infected, it's important to see a doctor. You may need to take antibiotics to cure the infection.

If you have bronchiectasis, you may also:

Feel breathless
Cough up blood
Wheeze
Get tired because of all the coughing.

These symptoms can be alarming and make you feel unwell. It can be especially distressing watching this happening to your child. If the symptoms seem worse than usual, you should talk to your doctor.

Some of the symptoms of bronchiectasis can happen with other lung diseases. These include asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). So your doctor will need to rule out these other conditions before diagnosing bronchiectasis.

To find out if you have bronchiectasis, your doctor will:[1]

Ask you about your symptoms
Listen to your chest with a stethoscope
Check how well your lungs are working by asking you to blow into a measuring tube called a spirometer
Send a sample of mucus from your lungs to the laboratory to check for infection.

You may also go to hospital for tests to look at your airways. You may have:[1]

A chest X-ray to get a general picture of your lungs
A lung scan (called a high-resolution CT scan) to get much more detailed pictures of your airways.

The pictures should show how much your airways have widened and how much of your lungs are affected.

Bronchiectasis can be caused by a condition called cystic fibrosis. So you may also have a test for cystic fibrosis.

References

Rosen MJ. Chronic cough due to bronchiectasis. Chest. 2006; 129: 122-131.
Nicotra MB, Riveera M, Dale AM et al. Clinical, pathophysiologic, and microbiologic characterization of bronchiectasis in an aging cohort. Chest. 1995; 108: 955-961.
Kelly MG, Murphy S, Elborn SJ. Bronchiectasis in secondary care: a comprehensive profile of a neglected disease. European Journal of Internal Medicine. 2003; 14: 488-492.

Glossary

asthma: Asthma is a disease of the lungs. It makes you wheeze, cough and feel short of breath. Asthma attacks are caused by and narrowing of the airways, which makes it hard for air to pass in and out of the lungs.
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a condition, most frequently affecting people who have smoked for a long time, involving difficulty breathing and coughing. It can include both , which is the breakdown of air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs, and chronic bronchitis, which is a recurrent, long-lasting cough that brings up phlegm.
spirometry: A measurement of how well the lungs are working. Spirometry measures the speed and amount a person can breathe out. If you're having breathing problems, spirometry helps your doctor to diagnose the cause.
X-ray: X-rays are pictures taken of the inside of the body. They are made by passing small amounts of radiation through the body and onto film. Larger amounts of radiation are used to treat some kinds of cancer.
CT scan: A CT scan is a type of X-ray. It takes several detailed pictures of the inside of your body from different angles. CT stands for computed tomography. It is also called a CAT scan (computed axial tomography).
cystic fibrosis: Cystic fibrosis is a disease people are born with that gives them problems with their lungs and bowels. The main results are breathing and digestive problems.

This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.