How is bronchiectasis treated?

Bronchiectasis widens and damages parts of the airways, allowing mucus to collect. A clinician may assess your symptoms, lung function and infection pattern using tests such as spirometry or a chest X-ray. Treatment is tailored to how much mucus you produce, how often infections occur and whether another lung condition is present.

Airway-clearance exercises, taught by a respiratory physiotherapist, can help move mucus so it is easier to cough out. Drinking fluids may make secretions easier to shift, but it does not replace prescribed care. Antibiotics may be used for a flare-up, and some people need a longer preventive plan. Inhalers can help when narrowed airways or breathlessness accompany bronchiectasis.

Follow the airway-clearance routine you were shown and take prescribed medicines for the full advised course. Keep track of changes in your cough, phlegm colour or amount, breathlessness and energy. Avoid smoking and reduce exposure to fumes that irritate your lungs. Ask about vaccinations and an action plan for future flare-ups.

A persistent cough, regular phlegm or increasing breathlessness deserves assessment; these symptoms can occur with bronchiectasis but do not by themselves confirm the diagnosis.

Contact a clinician promptly if your cough or phlegm changes, you develop a fever, or your breathing becomes more difficult than usual. Seek urgent help for severe breathlessness, blue or grey lips, confusion, chest pain, or coughing up more than a small amount of blood.

Ask which airway-clearance method suits you, how to recognise an infective flare-up, whether you need sputum testing, and when your lung function should be reviewed. Ask what to do if an antibiotic causes side effects or your symptoms fail to improve.