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Bronchiectasis
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Bronchiectasis is a chronic lung disease in which the bronchi, the tubes through which air moves in and out, end up permanently widened. Along with that, mucociliary transport, the system the airway uses to push mucus upward and out, weakens. The tube ends up wide and floppy: mucus pools instead of moving up.
Three things keep it going. Infections that come back again and again, obstruction of the airway, and peribronchial fibrosis, meaning scar tissue around the bronchus. In addition, the inflammation is dominated by neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that shows up where there is infection.
The result shows up in two ways. On the one hand, bacteria settle into the airway, precisely because mucociliary clearance no longer works. On the other, looking at the tissue under the microscope, you find destroyed cartilage, fibrosis, and enlarged mucous glands.
In brief
Bronchiectasis is a chronic lung disease in which the bronchi are permanently widened and mucociliary transport weakens.
The tube ends up wide and floppy: mucus pools instead of moving up.
Three mechanisms sustain it: repeated infections, airway obstruction, and peribronchial fibrosis, with neutrophils dominating the inflammation.
Bacteria colonize the airway because mucociliary clearance fails, and the tissue shows cartilage destruction, fibrosis, and hyperplasia of the mucous glands.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingBronchiectasis, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated