Treatment of bronchiectasias

: Typical symptoms of bronchiectasis include cough, sliminess of the airways and recurrent respiratory infections which lead to lung injury and impaired quality of life when untreated. High-resolution computer tomography is the most important examination to detect bronchiectasias. Cornerstones of the treatment are elucidation of the etiology of the disease, taking care of vaccinations, management of physical fitness, treating sliminess, and careful treatment of periods of exacerbation with antibiotics according to bacterial growth and susceptibility testing determined from sputum. Hypertonic saline inhalation can be used to potentiate the treatment of sliminess and achieve a positive effect on the quality of life.