Bronchiectasis (BE) is a condition where the airways in your lungs, also called bronchial tubes, become damaged and abnormally widened or dilated. Once BE
develops, the physical damage cannot be reversed or cured, but it can be managed. The abnormal dilation of the bronchial tubes makes them collapsible, or “floppy.” This makes it harder to clear naturally occurring mucus out of the lungs. As the mucus stays in the airways, bacteria and environmental organisms such as fungi, mold, and viruses can grow and cause infections,
which may result in exacerbations or “flare-ups.”
These infections can cause more damage, which leads to more mucus retention. This creates a self-reinforcing pattern, a kind of downward spiral where more
mucus leads to more infections, which causes chronic inflammation which can result in more permanent airway damage. Because of this, disease management
is the key to reducing the number of flare-ups to keep BE from progressing. It’s important to know that bronchiectasis itself is not contagious. The chronic
cough, sputum production, and breathlessness associated with BE are not signs of a contagious illness. You cannot give BE to someone else, and you
cannot catch it from another person. It does make you more vulnerable to lung infections, and in some settings, there is an increased risk of passing
that infection to another patient who has an underlying vulnerability (such as severe BE, cystic fibrosis, or a significant immune deficiency).