Bronchiectasis is a long-term condition in which parts of the airways become permanently widened and scarred, so mucus collects and infections keep returning. It causes a daily cough with a lot of phlegm and repeated chest infections. In India it often follows old TB or severe childhood infections. It is managed well with airway clearance, infection control and regular follow-up with a pulmonologist such as Dr A. Ashok Kumar in Chittoor.
Common symptoms of bronchiectasis
- Daily cough with large amounts of phlegm
- Repeated chest infections
- Breathlessness and tiredness
- Blood-streaked phlegm at times
Get urgent care if you have
- Coughing up more than a few spoons of blood
- High fever with breathlessness
Emergency? Call 093448 53689 or 108, or go to the nearest hospital.
Causes and risk factors
Past TB, severe pneumonia or whooping cough, immune problems, allergic lung conditions and inhaled objects in childhood.
Tests that help
Chest X-ray and HRCT chest
Pictures of the lungs. A high-resolution CT (HRCT) shows fine detail and is important for ILD, bronchiectasis, unexplained cough and lung spots. Dr Ashok arranges the right scan and explains the report with you.
Sputum and TB tests
Testing a sample of phlegm under the microscope and with rapid molecular tests finds TB germs and other infections, and shows whether TB germs are resistant to medicines.
Pulmonary function test (PFT) / spirometry
You blow hard into a tube while a machine measures how much air your lungs hold and how fast you can push it out. It confirms asthma or COPD, shows how severe it is and tracks whether treatment is working. Where needed, lung volumes and DLCO (how well oxygen passes into the blood) are also measured.
Bronchoscopy and BAL (selected cases)
A thin flexible camera is passed through the nose or mouth into the airways, under sedation and local anaesthetic, to look inside, take samples (BAL) or a small biopsy. It is used when tests are needed for infection, TB, ILD or a lung spot.
How Dr Ashok manages it
- HRCT chest to confirm and map the affected areas
- Daily airway clearance: breathing techniques, postural drainage, devices
- Sputum culture to choose antibiotics for flare-ups
- Treatment of the underlying cause
- Vaccination and pulmonary rehabilitation
Living well
- Do airway clearance every day
- Drink enough water
- Start treatment early at the first sign of a flare-up
- Avoid smoke and dust
Questions patients ask
Is bronchiectasis the same as TB?
No. Bronchiectasis is airway damage, and old TB is one of its causes. It is not infectious like TB.
Why do I need sputum tests?
Knowing which germ grows in your phlegm helps choose the right antibiotic quickly when a flare-up happens.