Bronchial Widening: Signs, triggers, and vulnerability aspects
Bronchiectasis, a chronic lung condition characterized by persistent cough, mucus production, and repeated respiratory infections, can lead to serious complications if left untreated. Recent studies have highlighted the detrimental effects of smoking and traffic pollution on the progression and symptoms of bronchiectasis.
Smoking damages the lungs by causing chronic inflammation and impairing the airways' ability to clear mucus. This leads to increased frequency and severity of chest infections, which are common in bronchiectasis and cause symptom exacerbations like worsened cough, more mucus, and breathlessness. Smoking also reduces the efficacy of treatment in lung diseases by promoting chemoresistance and preventing normal cell repair mechanisms.
Traffic pollution and exposure to irritant gases, dust, and fumes contribute to lung inflammation and damage, potentially hastening bronchiectasis progression. Environmental pollutants increase susceptibility to infections and can worsen symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, and mucus production. Pollutants also increase airborne particulates like soot in lung tissues, leading to further lung cell injury and inflammation, especially in those with pre-existing lung conditions.
In a nutshell, both smoking and traffic pollution accelerate bronchiectasis progression by increasing airway inflammation, promoting infection risk, and impairing lung function, leading to more severe symptoms such as persistent cough, excessive mucus, breathlessness, wheezing, and frequent chest infections.
Cystic fibrosis accounts for almost half of the cases of bronchiectasis in the United States. Non-CF bronchiectasis refers to bronchiectasis that is not due to CF. There is no cure for bronchiectasis, but early and effective treatment can help to reduce complications, prevent infections and exacerbations, control secretions, relieve obstructions in the airway, improve quality of life, and stop the disease from progressing.
To treat an infection, a doctor may prescribe antibiotics, bronchodilators, physical therapy, mucoactive drugs, and good hydration. Other health conditions that can increase the risk of bronchiectasis include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), antitrypsin (A1AT) deficiency, Young's syndrome, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), asthma, primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) or Kartagener Syndrome (KS), immunodeficiency disorders, chronic pulmonary aspiration, and connective tissue diseases.
In severe cases, oxygen therapy may be necessary to raise blood oxygen levels. In some instances, lung surgery or embolization may be appropriate if bronchiectasis affects only one lung or a limited area, or if damage is severe and there are frequent infections.
Physical therapy strategies like postural drainage, chest percussion, devices, and exercises can help to drain mucus. Later signs and symptoms may include breathlessness, difficulty walking more than 100 meters without stopping, frequent or severe chest infections, a pale or blue skin color, weight loss, slow growth in children, fatigue, blood in the mucus, coughing up blood, and a smell on the breath.
Common symptoms of bronchiectasis include a persistent cough, production of sputum, chest pain or discomfort, wheezing and shortness of breath, thickening of the skin under the fingernails and toenails, and nails that may curve downward.
Early diagnosis and treatment are essential, especially for children. With proper treatment, a person with bronchiectasis can enjoy a good quality of life. Having routine vaccinations against certain diseases can reduce the risk of the type of damage that leads to bronchiectasis.
[1] National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2021). What Is Bronchiectasis? Retrieved from
- Bronchiectasis, a type of chronic medical-condition that primarily affects the respiratory-system, is often exacerbated by smoking which can cause chronic inflammation and impair mucus clearance, leading to chronic bronchitis, an increase in respiratory infections, and worsening symptoms.
- In line with this, exposure to traffic pollution and its associated irritant gases, dust, and fumes can also worsen bronchiectasis by causing lung inflammation, increasing susceptibility to infections, and leading to further lung cell damage, especially in those with pre-existing lung conditions.
- Poor health-and-wellness practices, such as smoking and exposure to traffic pollution, can significantly contribute to the progression of chronic lung diseases like bronchiectasis, emphasizing the importance of preventive measures and early treatment for better disease management and improved quality of life.
