Summary
- Patients often present with recurrent pulmonary infections, including a chronic daily productive cough with mucopurulent sputum production.
- Diagnostic testing for a potential etiology of unexplained bronchiectasis should be performed.
- A sputum sample should be obtained during acute exacerbations and systemic antibiotics directed toward prior culture results should be administered.
- Daily airway clearance is essential for treatment success.
- Maintenance aerosolized antibiotics should be used for treatment of severe bronchiectasis or recurrent Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections.
- Surgical therapy, including lung transplantation, should be considered for patients who continue to deteriorate despite optimal medical management.
Other related conditions
- Cystic fibrosis
- Aspergillosis
- Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare
- Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Crohn disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- COPD
- Chronic sinusitis
- Evaluation of hemoptysis
- Community-acquired pneumonia
- Asthma in adults
- Marfan syndrome
- Pulmonary tuberculosis
- Measles infection
- Influenza infection
- Pertussis
- Overview of HIV
- Sjogren syndrome
- Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
Last updated: Apr 26, 2013
