Bronchiectasis and Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits
Bronchiectasis is a disease that is marked by damage to the walls of your bronchial tubes (large airways) of your lungs. Inflammation that results from infection or other causes destroys the smooth muscles that enable your bronchial tubes to be elastic, and it prevents secretions from being cleared that are normally produced by your lung tissue. The walls of your airways become irregularly shaped. Secretions begin to pool in your distorted airways instead of being expelled. This results in a breeding ground for the growth of bacteria. These bacteria then cause more secretions, airway damage and additional inflammation and irritation. This leads to a vicious cycle of damage. Bronchiectasis is a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), along with chronic bronchitis and emphysema. You may have bronchiectasis by itself, but usually more than one of the forms of COPD is present along with this disease. Bronchiectasis is classified in two ways. If you are born with this condition, it is called congenital bronchiectasis. If you develop this disease later in life, it is called acquired bronchiectasis. Although bronchiectasis is not as well known as other respiratory conditions, it causes a great deal of disability. Bronchiectasis occurs in about 1 in 100,000 people in the United States. Bronchiectasis that is not related to cystic fibrosis is more common in women than in men. Bronchiectasis is caused by recurrent infection or inflammation of your bronchial tubes. Many times, it starts in childhood as a complication of inhaling a foreign object or infection. About 50% of all the cases of bronchiectasis in the United States are caused by cystic fibrosis. The signs and symptoms of bronchiectasis often start gradually. They may begin months or years after what precipitated the condition. Some of the signs and symptoms include:- Paleness
- Wheezing
- Coughing up blood
- Shortness of breath that increases with exercise
- Bluish skin color
- Unintentional weight loss
- Breath odor
- Fatigue
- A chronic cough with large amounts of foul-smelling sputum
- A cough that gets worse when you are lying on one side
- Clubbing of your fingers.