Bronchiectasis
Daily sputum and repeated chest infections are not “just weak lungs” — bronchiectasis is diagnosable and manageable.
Bronchiectasis is permanent widening and scarring of the airways, usually after a severe childhood pneumonia, tuberculosis, or years of untreated infection. The damaged airways can no longer clear mucus, so sputum collects, bacteria settle in, and each infection damages the airway a little more.
In India — and particularly in Tamil Nadu — post-tuberculosis bronchiectasis is the commonest form we see, and it is very often mislabelled as ‘chronic bronchitis’ or ‘recurrent cold’ for years. Breaking the infection–inflammation cycle with airway clearance and targeted antibiotics changes how often you fall ill and how much lung function you keep.
Symptoms we look out for
- Cough with sputum on most days, often worse in the morning
- Repeated chest infections needing antibiotics several times a year
- Blood-streaked sputum (haemoptysis)
- Breathlessness and reduced exercise capacity over years
- Fatigue, weight loss or a history of treated tuberculosis
Diagnostics we offer
Our treatment approach
- HRCT chest to map which lobes are affected and how severely
- Sputum culture (bacterial, mycobacterial and fungal) to target antibiotics rather than guess them
- Daily airway clearance — taught physiotherapy techniques, devices and nebulised saline
- Prompt, adequate-length antibiotics for exacerbations; long-term macrolide in selected patients
- Vaccination (influenza, pneumococcal), nutrition and pulmonary rehabilitation
- Review for treatable underlying causes — immunodeficiency, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, reflux, post-TB damage
Common questions
Can bronchiectasis be cured?
The airway damage itself is permanent, but the illness is very controllable. With daily airway clearance and correctly targeted antibiotics, most patients go from several infections a year to one or none, and lung function decline slows markedly.
I had TB years ago and still cough up sputum — is my TB back?
Usually not. Post-TB bronchiectasis causes ongoing sputum and infections without active tuberculosis. We test to exclude relapse, then treat the bronchiectasis — they need completely different management.
Do I need antibiotics every time I cough?
No. Antibiotics are for exacerbations — a clear change in sputum volume, colour, breathlessness or fever. Daily clearance and nebulised therapy are what keep you out of exacerbations in the first place.
Get a clear plan for your bronchiectasis
Book a consultation with Dr. Arun Gangadhar at our RS Puram clinic.