Figure 1.

Vicious cycle of bronchiectasis. Independent of the underlying risk factor for bronchiectasis, once it is established, bronchiectasis tends to beget more bronchiectasis. The excessive mucus and ciliary dysfunction in the bronchiectatic airway predispose to recurrent infections, which exacerbates airway inflammation, resulting in more mucus accumulation, ciliary dysfunction, and progression of bronchiectasis. In addition to treatment of infections, airway clearance measures can help mitigate these pathogenic mechanisms that drive bronchiectasis.