What is the Difference Between Bronchiectasis and Cystic Fibrosis

The key difference between bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis is that bronchiectasis is a long-term condition where the bronchi of the lungs become permanently widened, while cystic fibrosis is a condition that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system, and other organs in the body.

Lung diseases are the most common medical conditions in the world. Generally, smoking, infections, and genes are the main causes of lung diseases. Lung diseases occur when there are problems in any part of the respiratory system. Bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis are two conditions that affect the airways of the lungs.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Bronchiectasis
3. What is Cystic Fibrosis
4. Similarities – Bronchiectasis and Cystic Fibrosis
5. Bronchiectasis vs Cystic Fibrosis in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Bronchiectasis vs Cystic Fibrosis

What is Bronchiectasis?

Bronchiectasis is a long-term condition where the bronchi of the lungs become permanently damaged and widened. This widening leads to the build-up of excess mucus, which can make the lungs more vulnerable to infections by pathogens. Normally, bronchiectasis happens if the tissue and muscles that surround the bronchi are damaged. The three most common causes for the damages are: having had a lung infection in the past like pneumonia, whooping cough, and underlying problems with the immune system that make bronchi vulnerable to infection and aspergillosis (an allergy to a certain type of fungi). However, in many cases, no exact cause for this condition can be found. This is known as idiopathic bronchiectasis.

The symptoms of bronchiectasis include coughing up yellow or green mucus daily, shortness of breath, fatigue, fevers, and chills, wheezing, whistling sound while breathing, and coughing up blood or mucus mixed with blood (hemoptysis). Moreover, this medical condition can be diagnosed through lung function tests, X-rays, CT-scan, and bronchoscopies. Treatments include exercises and special devices to help clear mucus out of the lungs, medicine like roflumilast to help improve airflow in the lungs, and antibiotics to treat any lung infections. In rare cases, surgery is considered for bronchiectasis.

What is Cystic Fibrosis?

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited condition that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system, and other organs in the body. In this condition, sticky mucus builds up in the lungs and digestive system. Cystic fibrosis occurs due to a mutation in a gene called CFTR. This gene normally controls the flow of salt and fluids in and out of cells. If the CFTR gene does not work, sticky mucus builds up in the body.

Symptoms of this condition include recurring chest infections, wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, difficulty putting on weight and growing, yellowing of skin and white part of the eye, diarrhoea, constipation, and bowel obstruction in newborns. This condition can be diagnosed through newborn blood spot tests, seat tests, and genetic tests for the CFTR gene. Furthermore, treatment for this condition may include medications such as cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), modulators (elexacaftor, ivacaftor, tezacaftor), antibiotics for lung infections, anti-inflammatory drugs for lessening the swelling of airways, bronchodilators to keep airways open, oral pancreatic enzymes to help the digestive tract to absorb nutrients,  stool softeners to relieve constipation and bowel obstruction, acid-reducing medication that help digestive enzyme to function properly and specific drugs for liver disease. Sometimes, surgeries such as nasal and sinus surgery, bowel surgery, lung transplant, and liver transplant may also be recommended.

What are the Similarities Between Bronchiectasis and Cystic Fibrosis?

• Bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis are two lung diseases.
• Both medical conditions can affect the airways of the lungs.
• Sometimes, both medical conditions may show similar symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath.
• Sometimes, both medical conditions may use similar treatment options, such as the usage of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs.

What is the Difference Between Bronchiectasis and Cystic Fibrosis?

Bronchiectasis is a long-term condition where the bronchi of the lungs become permanently widened, while cystic fibrosis is an inherited condition that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system, and other organs in the body. Thus, this is the key difference between bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis. Furthermore, bronchiectasis is mainly caused due to past lung infections like pneumonia, whooping cough, underlying problems with the immune system, and aspergillosis. On the other hand, cystic fibrosis is caused due to inherited genetic mutation of the CFTR gene.

The below infographic presents the differences between bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – Bronchiectasis vs Cystic Fibrosis

Bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis are two medical conditions that affect the airways of the lungs. Bronchiectasis is a long-term condition where the bronchi of the lungs become permanently widened, while cystic fibrosis is an inherited condition that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system, and other organs in the body. So, this is the key difference between bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis.

Reference:

1. “Learn about Bronchiectasis.” American Lung Association.
2. “Cystic Fibrosis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Bronchiectasis” By BruceBlaus – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Blausen 0286 CysticFibrosis” By Blausen.com staff (2014). “Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014” WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 2002-4436. – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia