About flare-ups

Flare-ups of bronchiectasis occur when you experience a sustained worsening of symptoms, such as increased cough and mucus production, breathlessness, fever or fatigue. Flare-ups often build up over a relatively short period of time and are associated with increased inflammation and narrowing of the airways. You may hear people refer to a flare-up as an exacerbation, lung attack or lung crisis. These all mean the same thing.

A flare-up may be due to a viral, bacterial or fungal infection, due to allergic rhinitis (common cold) or extreme weather or poor air quality (e.g. lots of smoky haze)

It is important that you know the warning signs that typically suggest the start of a lung flare-up for you.

Commonly reported symptoms for a bronchiectasis flare-up are:

Some complications of a flare-up are:

In addition to an increase in the above symptoms, other problems may be present during a flare-up, which may require hospitalization for some treatment.

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