This article discusses symptoms and causes of this condition.
Bronchorrhea tends to be at its worst in the morning and often improves throughout the day.
Still, it may result in dehydration and electrolyte imbalances in the body.
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When severe, it may also result in airway obstruction and respiratory distress.
How Is Bronchorrhea Diagnosed?
Evaluation for bronchorrhea is usually performed by taking a careful medical history and physical exam.
Imaging studies and blood work are usually done as part of the work-up to determine a diagnosis.
Possible causes include chronic respiratory and lung diseases.
Lung Diseases
Chronic lung diseases can lead to symptoms of bronchorrhea.
These conditions include:
What Is Bronchospastic Cough?
With some conditions, the bronchi can tighten into a spasm.
Thesebronchospasmsare common with asthma and COPD, and cause wheezes, shortness of breath, and cough.
It is the most common cause of bronchorrhea.
With BAC, the incidence of bronchorrhea is estimated to be around 6%.
Infections
Tuberculosis has been associated with bronchorrhea, though this is less common in the United States.
It’s believed that, for some reason, the airways become hyper-responsive to a particular stressor.
Bronchorrhea symptoms differ from mucus production associated with lung conditions due to inflammation.
Because of this, many traditional treatments for excess phlegm are ineffective.
It may occur with lung cancer, particularly some types, as well as other lung conditions.
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