page_title: Bronchiectasis
section_title: Antibiotics
hierarchical_section_title: Bronchiectasis / Management / Antibiotics
caption_attribution_description: English: 250 mg azithromycin tablets
context_page_description: Bronchiectasis is a disease in which there is permanent enlargement of parts of the airways of the lung. Symptoms typically include a chronic cough with mucus production. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing up blood, and chest pain. Wheezing and nail clubbing may also occur. Those with the disease often get frequent lung infections.
  Bronchiectasis may result from a number of infectious and acquired causes, including pneumonia, tuberculosis, immune system problems, as well as the genetic disorder cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis eventually results in severe bronchiectasis in nearly all cases. The cause in 10–50% of those without cystic fibrosis is unknown. The mechanism of disease is breakdown of the airways due to an excessive inflammatory response. Involved airways become enlarged and thus less able to clear secretions. These secretions increase the amount of bacteria in the lungs, resulting in airway blockage and further breakdown of the airways. It is classified as an obstructive lung disease, along with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. The diagnosis is suspected based on symptoms and confirmed using computed tomography.
context_section_description: Antibiotics are used in bronchiectasis to eradicate P. aeruginosa or MRSA, to suppress the burden of chronic bacterial colonization, and to treat exacerbations. The use of daily oral non-macrolide antibiotic treatment has been studied in small case series, but not in randomized trials. The role of inhaled antibiotics in non-CF bronchiectasis has recently evolved with two society guidelines and a systematic review suggesting a therapeutic trial of inhaled antibiotics in patients with three or more exacerbations per year and P. aeruginosa in their sputum. Options for inhaled antibiotics include aerosolized tobramycin, inhaled ciprofloxacin, aerosolized aztreonam, and aerosolized colistin.
caption: Azithromycin is a macrolide commonly used in bronchiectasis.
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