Getting a diagnosis

Common signs

Some common signs of bronchiectasis in adults include:

• A cough that won’t go away, especially if you don’t smoke
• Getting chest infections often
• Coughing up blood without a clear reason

Even if you have any of these signs, it’s not enough to confirm bronchiectasis. Your doctor needs to check your past health and take special scans of your lungs.

The best scan to diagnose bronchiectasis is a high-resolution CT (HRCT) scan. This scan takes very detailed pictures of your lungs and airways.

Before ordering tests, your doctor will chat with you about your health history. They might ask things like:

• If you had repeated chest infections, especially when you were a child
• If anyone in your family has had bronchiectasis
• If you’ve ever smoked
• If you’ve had joint problems, unusual skin rashes or muscle pain (these can sometimes be linked).

Based on your history and symptoms, your doctor might recommend further tests to help diagnose bronchiectasis or rule out other diseases. These can include:

• Spirometry: A simple breathing test to check how well your lungs are working.
• Physical examination: Your doctor will listen to your chest and watch how you breathe and cough
• Blood tests: These check for signs of infection or inflammation
• Sputum sample: This tests the mucus (phlegm) you cough up, looking for bacteria, fungi or other causes of infection
• Chest X-ray: To look for any damage in your lungs
• HRCT scan: This is the most accurate test to confirm bronchiectasis

Getting the right diagnosis is really important. Some medications for other lung diseases, like asthma or COPD (such as inhaled corticosteroids), might not be right for bronchiectasis. In fact, they could even make things worse if not used correctly.