Spotlighting Bronchiectasis Care
American Lung Association Launches Initiative to Educate on Under-Diagnosed Lung Disease Bronchiectasis
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Up to 500,000 adults in the United States live with bronchiectasis — a chronic lung disease that permanently scars and widens the airways — yet many never receive the right diagnosis. On July 1, 2026, the American Lung Association launched a new initiative to mark the 5th annual World Bronchiectasis Day, aiming to close that gap with better education, treatment guidance, and emotional support, according to PR Newswire.
The disease costs the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $14.68 billion every year, per a 2023 study published in CHEST. Individual patients can face annual costs ranging from $3,579 to over $82,545, driven largely by hospitalizations. Despite that burden, bronchiectasis is still widely missed or confused with other conditions like asthma or COPD, according to Finance Yahoo.
What Bronchiectasis Is and Why It's Irreversible
Bronchiectasis is a "vicious cycle" disease. It starts when an infection or injury — such as whooping cough, tuberculosis, or an immune disorder — inflames the airways. The airway walls scar and widen permanently. They lose the ability to clear mucus. That pooled mucus attracts bacteria, which causes more infection, which causes more scarring. There is no cure.
About 40% of cases have no known cause, making them "idiopathic." The disease is also far more common in women: 79% of patients in the U.S. National Registry are female, according to Street Insider. ALA President Harold Wimmer warned that misdiagnosis is a serious danger, stating: "Many people think that bronchiectasis is the same as COPD, but it is different, and those differences are instrumental in a person getting the correct care."
Why So Many Cases Go Undetected for Years
Bronchiectasis was once considered rare. Vaccines and antibiotics largely controlled the infections that cause it. But better imaging tools — specifically high-resolution CT scans — have revealed that many patients labeled with "refractory asthma" or COPD actually have bronchiectasis. Experts say most general practitioners are not trained to look for it, according to Finance Yahoo.
Dr. Christopher Richards, who directs the Bronchiectasis Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, has said the disease carries "a lot of fatalism" and is still "a diagnosis missed by many pulmonologists and undertreated by most." The American Thoracic Society has launched a dedicated education center to retrain clinicians on proper airway clearance techniques, moving away from repeated antibiotic cycles alone.
Three Things Patients Need to Know Right Now
The ALA's new initiative, supported by pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, focuses on three core pillars. First, get the right diagnosis — do not assume a chronic cough means COPD or asthma. Second, seek specialized care. Customized management plans, including mucus-clearing devices used at home, can cut emergency room visits and reduce flare-ups. Third, know you are not alone.
Patient groups highlight a serious emotional toll. Because bronchiectasis involves a daily cough that often produces discolored mucus, patients report social isolation and embarrassment. The Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform ran a 24-hour social media campaign on July 1 to share lived experiences worldwide. Dr. Tim Aksamit of the Mayo Clinic noted that the community has seen "growth in research, greater recognition, and new treatment options" in recent years.
A $14.6 Billion Problem With a Prevention-Focused Solution
The ALA's push is partly economic. Right now, most patients manage the disease reactively — they wait for a flare-up and go to the hospital. That drives the bulk of the $14.68 billion annual cost. Shifting patients to proactive, at-home airway clearance and infection prevention could dramatically reduce those hospitalizations, experts say, according to Finance Yahoo.
Globally, the disease affects more than 1 million people. In China, the prevalence rate for adults over 40 reaches 1,200 per 100,000 people — more than double the U.S. rate of roughly 500 per 100,000. In low-income countries and among Indigenous populations in Australia and New Zealand, rates run up to five times higher than in white European populations, framing bronchiectasis there as a "disease of poverty" tied to public health failures.
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