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Bronchiectasis - Symptom

Alternative Names

Acquired bronchiectasis; Congenital bronchiectasis

Symptoms:

Symptoms often develop gradually, and may occur months or years after the event that causes the bronchiectasis.

They may include:

Bluish skin color
Breath odor
Chronic cough with large amounts of foul-smelling sputum
Clubbing of fingers
Coughing up blood
Cough that gets worse when lying on one side
Fatigue
Paleness
Shortness of breath that gets worse with exercise
Weight loss
Wheezing

Signs and tests:

When listening to the chest with a stethoscope, the doctor may hear small clicking, bubbling, wheezing, rattling, or other sounds, usually in the lower lobes of the lungs.

Tests may include:

Aspergillosis precipitin test (to check for signs of the aspergillosis fungus)
Chest x-ray
Chest CT
Sputum culture
Complete blood count (CBC)
PPD skin test to check for a prior tuberculosis infection
Serum immunoglobulin electrophoresis
Sweat test or other cystic fibrosis testing

Lungs

Respiratory system

Reviewed last on: 9/24/2008
Benjamin Medoff, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Barker AF. Bronchiectasis, atelectasis, cysts, and localized lung disorders. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 90.

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