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Bronchiectasis - Management
What are the clinical features of bronchiectasis in adults?
- There may be a history of:
- A severe lower respiratory tract infection in early childhood.
- Recurrent lower respiratory tract infections.
- Symptoms of bronchiectasis include:
- Cough — in over 90% of adults.
- Cough with daily sputum production — present in over 75% of adults.
- Cough with intermittent sputum production — present in up to 20% of adults.
- Cough that is unproductive — present in up to 8% of adults.
- Breathlessness — present in up to 83% of adults.
- Haemoptysis — occurs in up to 50% of adults.
- Blood-stained sputum in 27% of adults.
- Frank bleeding may occur in up to 20% of adults.
- Massive haemoptysis (more than 235 mL) is rarely seen in adults.
- Chest pain that is present between exacerbations and is usually non-pleuritic — present in 31% of adults.
- Signs of bronchiectasis include:
- Course crackles during early inspiration that are commonest in the lower lung fields — present in approximately 70% of adults.
- Wheeze — present in 34% of people.
- Large airway rhonchi (low pitched snore-like sounds) — present in 44% of adults.
- Finger clubbing — occurs very infrequently.
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