What is bronchiectasis?

Bronchiectasis is a long-term condition where the airways in your lungs become damaged and widened. Because your airways are widened, phlegm (sputum) can build up in them. This can increase your risk of getting infections, as the built-up phlegm makes it easier for bacteria to get trapped in your airways.

Bronchiectasis is sometimes called non-cystic fibrosis (non-CF) bronchiectasis. This is because bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis share some symptoms. However, the treatment and outlook are different for each condition.

It’s estimated that 212,000 people are living with bronchiectasis in the UK.  This is around 1 in 200 adults.

Bronchiectasis can affect anybody, but: 

• it’s more common in women than men
• you’re more likely to be diagnosed with bronchiectasis if you’re over 70 years old.  
   

In around 4 in 10 cases, bronchiectasis has no clear cause.  This is called idiopathic bronchiectasis.

Infections

Infections can cause bronchiectasis.  You might have had a very severe case of an infection, for example: 

• pneumonia
• tuberculosis (TB)
• mycoplasma
• flu (influenza)
• whooping cough  
• measles.

Other causes

There are other causes of bronchiectasis, including: 

• having another lung condition, for example, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) or asthma
• problems with tiny hair-like structures in your lungs (cilia). This could be caused by conditions like primary ciliary dyskinesia or Young’s syndrome
• having a weaker immune system (immunodeficiency)
• inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
• connective tissue disorders, like rheumatoid arthritis
• having tumours in your airways (endobronchial tumours)
• allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA)
• accidentally breathing food or drink into your airways instead of swallowing it (aspiration).