What is Bronchiectasis? Bronchiectasis Symptoms and Treatment

Bronchiectasis is a type of disease that affects the respiratory tract. Bronchiectasis disease, which occurs as a result of structural disorders in the respiratory tract, causes complaints during breathing in individuals and negatively affects daily life. Early treatment is important for people with bronchiectasis. With appropriate treatment, existing and disturbing symptoms can be alleviated and the progression of the disease can be prevented. You can find detailed information about bronchiectasis disease and its treatment methods by reading the rest of our article.

What is Bronchiectasis?

Lungs are the main organs responsible for respiration and contain air channels called bronchi. Air taken from the outside enters the lungs through the bronchi. The bronchi divide into smaller branches called bronchioles within the lung. The air, which moves through the branches, finally reaches the small lung sacs called alveoli, where oxygen exchange is made with the blood. For a healthy respiration, all these mentioned structures must work as a whole. Depending on the damage to the bronchial walls, the bronchi enlarge over time and acquire an abnormal structure. This leads to more accumulation of mucus secretion produced by the bronchi. The accumulated mucus puts the lungs at a higher risk for infections. Recurrent episodes of infection cause more mucus production and obstruction of the airways. As a result of these cyclical disorders, since the bronchi are filled with mucus, airflow is disrupted and breathing difficulties occur. Late diagnosis or delay in treatment is a problem that reduces the efficiency of treatment and may cause adverse effects on the life expectancy of bronchiectasis patients. Therefore, regular treatment is important for bronchiectasis, just as it is for diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). With the correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment, individuals can manifest their symptoms. The progression of the disease can be reduced as well. /li>

Bloody sputum

Coughing with blood

Difficulty breathing

Chest pain while breathing

Wheezing

Pronounced weight loss

Weakness

Chronic cough and sputum symptoms observed in bronchiectasis are usually present for months or years. Individuals often state that they cough and sputum heavily every day. Blood in the form of lines can be observed on the sputum, and in some cases, dense bloody sputum can be excreted. Bronchiectasis is one of the most common diseases that cause bleeding from the mouth, also called hemoptysis. While sputum is one of the most common symptoms observed during bronchiectasis, hemoptysis may occur without sputum in dry bronchiectasis, which is rarely observed.

Increased respiratory distress

Bad odor in sputum

Weakness

It is recommended to consult a doctor who is a specialist in chest diseases or thoracic surgery in the symptoms of bronchiectasis. is done. The findings of bronchiectasis observed with the doctor's examination can be summarized as follows:

• Findings such as ral, rhonchus, wheezing in respiratory sounds
• Digital clubbing (a finding observed in the fingers with oxygen irregularity)
• Weight reduction
• Nasal polyps

Causes of Bronchiectasis

There is no clear source of bronchiectasis that can be explained by current scientific knowledge. However, there are some factors that can cause bronchiectasis. The causes of bronchiectasis can be listed as follows:

• Infections
• Cystic fibrosis
• Aspiration (leakage of solid and liquid substances into the respiratory tract)
• Immunodeficiency syndromes
• Congenital anatomical factors
• Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
• Liliary dysfunctions
• Polycystic kidney disease
• Autoimmune diseases
• Allergic aspergillosis

Respiratory tract e Infections pose a risk for bronchiectasis when treated inadequately or incorrectly. Bronchiectasis, on the other hand, makes the lung more susceptible to infections, and a kind of cycle occurs between the infection and the bronchiectasis disease. An infectious type called Mycobacteria is one of the important factors leading to bronchiectasis because it has different treatment. Cystic fibrosis is one of the most important causes of bronchiectasis. In cystic fibrosis, the production of a protein called CFTR, which should be found in epithelial cells responsible for mucus production, and the mechanisms associated with this protein are defective. For this reason, epithelial cells cannot function normally. Common symptoms are observed by affecting many places such as respiratory and digestive systems that have epithelial tissue. Cystic bronchiectasis is one of the most frequently observed radiological findings in respiratory system involvement.

Autoimmune diseases have a high rate among the causes of bronchiectasis. Bronchiectasis may occur in many autoimmune rheumatological diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's and lupus syndromes. Bronchiectasis factors are also important in determining the treatment program. However, it may not be practical to identify the factor that causes bronchiectasis in every individual. When a factor causing bronchiectasis is identified, a specific treatment for that factor can be given. In the evaluation of the source of bronchiectasis, the following methods are used:

• Sputum analysis
• Biochemical tests
• Microbiological tests
• High resolution computed tomography (HRCT)
• Cystic fibrosis diagnostic tests (genetic analysis and chlorine tests)

HRCT is an important method in the diagnosis of bronchiectasis and in determining its prevalence. As a result of HRCT, it is possible to get an idea about the possible factors by evaluating which lung segments the bronchiectasis involves. For example, infectious agents are suspected when involvement is observed in the middle and lower areas of the lung, while anatomical causes are considered only in middle layer involvement. In cystic fibrosis, there is mostly upper lung involvement.

Treatment of Bronchiectasis

For a correct treatment approach for bronchiectasis, you should consult a specialist in the field of chest diseases. Your doctor pre He carefully listens to your complaints and performs a comprehensive examination. In this way, the symptoms and signs of bronchiectasis can be evaluated clearly. The treatment of bronchiectasis is different according to the cause and severity of the disease. Therefore, various diagnostic tests such as laboratory analyzes and radiological imaging are used before treatment. Thus, the type and level of bronchiectasis are investigated in detail.

Your doctor can inform you in detail about ways to get rid of bronchiectasis and alternative treatment methods. The methods used in the treatment of bronchiectasis are as follows:

• Antibiotics
• Bronchiectasis breathing exercises
• Drugs that expand bronchial smooth muscles
• Corticosteroid type drugs
• Dietary regulation and supplements
• Surgery

Antibiotic treatment is regulated with drugs with different active ingredients according to the severity of the disease. Moderate antibiotic therapy is recommended, usually for 7-10 days. There are many different types of antibiotics such as amoxicillin, cephalosporin, macrolide. Your doctor can prescribe an appropriate antibiotic based on your current illness. Diagnostic methods such as sputum analysis and microbiological tests can also be used during the selection of the right antibiotic. If it is severe, treatment is usually done intravenously and in hospital follow-up.

Bronchiectasis breathing exercises and physiotherapy are the most preferred treatment methods in addition to antibiotics. Thanks to respiratory physiotherapy, the frequency of bronchiectasis attacks can be reduced and the symptoms of individuals can be alleviated. Bronchiectasis surgery is generally preferred for patients with limited lung involvement and for patients who do not have the desired results with antibiotics. Significant improvement can be observed when bronchiectasis with appropriate features is treated with surgery. Bronchiectasis operation is performed by lobectomy or segmentectomy method, which is generally defined as the removal of a specific lobe or segment of the lung. Therefore, early treatment should be applied with the correct diagnosis and should not be interrupted. You can consult a specialist doctor for your bronchiectasis and choose the right treatment program. You can get ram.

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