Q32.3: Congenital stenosis of bronchus

You have a congenital narrowing in one or more places in your bronchia.

The air is breathed in through the mouth or nose. From there the air goes into the trachea via the larynx. At the end of the windpipe are two bronchial tubes (or bronchi) branching away from it. The bronchial tubes run into the lungs. What is more, the bronchial tubes divide into even smaller branches. The larynx, the trachea, the bronchia and the lungs are part of the lower airways.

While developing in the womb, many different types of tissue develop in the body. The organs and body parts develop out of the various types of tissue. If tissue fails to develop properly, changes can occur.

There can be various reasons why the bronchia have narrowed. For example, bronchia can narrow if the mucous membrane inside the bronchia has changed. A mucous membrane is a moist skin. Mucous membrane coats the bronchia, for example, from the inside. The bronchia have cartilage tissue that makes the bronchia firm. It may also be that the cartilage tissue in the bronchia has not developed properly. The bronchia may then become narrowed.

The narrowing of the bronchia can result in various indications. A whistling sound may be heard when breathing. There may also be a cough. Mucous may collect in the area behind the narrowed bronchia. If the mucous cannot be coughed away properly, infections may keep recurring in these areas. If the narrowings persist, the lungs can be over-inflated in the sections affected. It may also be that air no longer flows properly through the affected sections of the lungs.