How is bronchiectasis diagnosed?
If your healthcare professional thinks you have bronchiectasis, they might ask about your:
- symptoms, for example how often you cough up phlegm (sputum)
- medical history and times when you’ve been sick in the past
- lifestyle, like whether you smoke or about your weight.
This will help them to work out if you have bronchiectasis or if a different condition could be causing your symptoms.
Seeing a respiratory specialist
If your healthcare professional thinks that you could have bronchiectasis, they should refer you to a respiratory specialist.
Your respiratory specialist will look into your symptoms further and confirm your diagnosis. They will help find the right treatment for you and, if possible, they will find out what caused your bronchiectasis.
Tests to diagnose bronchiectasis
CT scan
A CT scan is the most effective way of diagnosing bronchiectasis. Your healthcare professional might also call this a high-resolution CT (HRCT) scan.
A CT scan provides detailed images of your lungs that can show a lot more than a standard X-ray. This test will help your healthcare professional confirm your bronchiectasis diagnosis.
Other tests for bronchiectasis
You might need some other tests. The exact tests you’ll have are different for everybody. They might help your healthcare professional diagnose you, rule out other conditions, or work out what caused your bronchiectasis.
Other tests you might have include:
| Chest X-ray | This will help to rule out other conditions that could be causing your symptoms. |
| Phlegm (sputum) sample | Your healthcare professional will ask you to cough up phlegm into a pot. Then they’ll test this to see if there is bacteria or fungi in your phlegm. |
| Blood tests | This is to check how well your immune system is working. Your healthcare professional will also check if there is bacteria, viruses or fungi in your blood. |
| Spirometry | This test checks how well your lungs are functioning. This will also help to rule out other conditions that could be causing your symptoms. |
| Bronchoscopy | A bronchoscopy will be used to see if there are any problems inside your lungs and to take samples from your lungs for testing. |
| Tests for other conditions |
You might need tests to rule out other conditions, for example: |
Getting your test results
Your healthcare professional should explain why you need certain tests and what the results mean.
If you’re unsure about your tests, you could ask:
- What is this test for?
- How and when will I get the results?
- Who do I contact if I do not get the results?
- What do these results mean?
Never be afraid to ask questions or let your healthcare professional know that you do not understand something. They’re there to help you. The NHS has more advice about what to ask your healthcare professional.
How severe is my bronchiectasis?
Bronchiectasis affects everyone differently, so speaking to your healthcare professional is the best way to understand more about your outlook.
If your bronchiectasis is mild and your symptoms are well controlled, bronchiectasis should not impact your life expectancy. However, bronchiectasis can affect your life expectancy if it‘s more severe or uncontrolled. This is why it’s important to treat and manage your condition.
The severity of your bronchiectasis depends on a lot of different things, such as how often you have flare-ups (exacerbations) or if you have other long-term health conditions.
If you want to know how severe your bronchiectasis is, it’s best to speak to your healthcare professional about this at your annual review.
Get support with your diagnosis
We know that getting a bronchiectasis diagnosis can be hard and might take time, but we’re here to help. You can get advice and support from our helpline at any point in your journey, whether you’re waiting for a diagnosis or living with bronchiectasis.
Our helpline team has specialist respiratory nurses and healthcare advisors who can help with any questions and concerns you might have, for example:
- when to see a GP or healthcare professional about your symptoms
- why you need certain tests and what your test results mean
- the best ways to treat and manage bronchiectasis
- how to get other support, like financial help or welfare benefits.
Get support
Call our helpline for support with your condition. Get advice on your medicines, symptoms or travelling with a lung condition, or just call us to say hello.
