Brochiectasis
Bronchiectasis
We’ve designed this website to be a resource for patients. We want patients to know their options and to be able to discuss those options with their doctor. This website is not meant to replace the medical advice from a doctor or other medical personnel. Our goal is to be a one-stop-shopping site for information, even if that means giving you links to other websites. We don’t want to reinvent the wheel, just to be a resource.
World Bronchiectasis Day – July 1st
In 2022 we joined with several other international organizations for the inaugural World Bronchiectasis Day on July 1st to Bringing the World Together for Bronchiectasis Awareness.
The COPD Foundation coordinates this event and maintains the World Bronchiectasis Day website. It contains all the webinars, videos, information, and other offerings from all the patient groups from around the world.
What is Bronchiectasis?
Bronchiectasis is a condition in which damage to the airways causes them to thicken, widen, lose their elasticity and become scarred. Bronchiectasis usually is the result of an infection or other condition that injures the walls of the airways or prevents the airways from clearing mucus. In bronchiectasis, the airways slowly lose their ability to clear out mucus. When mucus can’t be cleared, it builds up and creates an environment in which bacteria can grow. This perpetuates the cycle of infections which in turn create more lung damage. Over time, the airways lose their ability to move air in and out. This can prevent enough oxygen from reaching vital organs.
Bronchiectasis can be present in one section of the lung or throughout both lungs.
There are two types of bronchiectasis: congenital or acquired. Congenital bronchiectasis affects infants and children. It’s the result of a problem with how the lungs form in a fetus. Acquired bronchiectasis occurs as a result of another condition or factor. This type of bronchiectasis can affect adults and older children. Acquired bronchiectasis is more common than the congenital type.
There is no cure for bronchiectasis. (1)
Bronchiectasis is typically broken down into two groups: Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and non CF bronchiectasis. That makes the non CF bronchiectasis group heterogeneous or quite diverse. This group contains both congenital and acquired bronchiectasis.
Non CF bronchiectasis increases with age. Fewer than 1 out of 20,000 people aged 18 to 34 have the disease but that rises to about one in 350 people by age 75. A 2005 study estimated that 110,000 persons in the United States received treatment for bronchiectasis.(2)
Sources:
(1) NIH
(2) All About Bronchiectasis – a guide from the Bronchiectasis and NTM iniative of the COPD Foundation https://www.bronchiectasisandntminitiative.org/Portals/0/Files/All_About_Bronchiectasis.pdf
Bronchiectasis Resources
From the American Thoracic Society
From the Bronchiectasis and NTM Association
From Bronchiectasis Info and Research
European Respiratory Society (ERS), The European Bronchiectasis Registry (EMBARC), and The European Lung Foundation (ELF) Bronchiectasis Info:
During the webinar, Professor Chalmers mentioned resources on Bronchiectasis based on the European Bronchiectasis guidelines. Below is a list of those resources that his office sent us:
Bronchiectasis Empowerment Pack
Bronchiectasis self-care guide
The Bronchiectasis Patient Checklist
Recommendations for travelling with bronchiectasis: a joint ELF/EMBARC/ERN-Lung collaboration
Managing Bronchiectasis in Adults – there are two useful links from this page