What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Bronchiectasis?

The initial airway damage that leads to bronchiectasis often begins in childhood. However, signs and symptoms may not appear until months or even years after you start having repeated lung infections.

The most common signs and symptoms of bronchiectasis are:

• A daily cough, over months or years
• Daily production of large amounts of sputum (spit). Sputum, which you cough up and spit out, may contain mucus (a slimy substance), trapped particles, and pus.
• Shortness of breath and wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe)
• Chest pain
• Clubbing (the flesh under your fingernails and toenails gets thicker)

If your doctor listens to your lungs with a stethoscope, he or she may hear abnormal lung sounds.

Over time, you may have more serious symptoms. You may cough up blood or bloody mucus and feel fatigued (very tired). Children may lose weight, or they may not grow at a normal rate.

Severe bronchiectasis also can lead to other serious health conditions, such as respiratory failure and atelectasis. If the condition is so advanced that it affects all parts of your airways, it may cause heart failure.