Bronchitis and Chronic Bronchitis
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Bronchitis and chronic bronchitis
If you or someone you love
is living with bronchitis, you know how frustrating in can be
to have this lung/breathing condition. So what exactly is it
and what can you do if you have to live with it? Bronchitis is
basically an acute inflammation of the airways in your lungs.
When these airways (the trachea and the large and small
bronchi) become inflamed, it is difficult or impossible to
breathe.
Chronic bronchitis is a
form of bronchitis that continues for a long period of
time or keeps coming back.
See below for more
information on chronic bronchitis and ways to identify a
bronchitis symptom.
Bronchitis causes
Infection is a common cause
of bronchitis or a trigger for it. Both children and adults can
get bronchitis and it affects them the same. When you have
bronchitis, the mucous lining of your airways will become
irritated and swollen, making it hard for sufficient air to
pass through. In addition, the cells that make up this lining
might leak fluids into your lungs and in severe cases, when
left untreated it can develop into other conditions such as
pneumonia.
The main cause of chronic
bronchitis is smoking. The more a person smokes, the more
likely they'll eventually get bronchitis and it will
become chronic bronchitis.
Some people have a more
severe risk of getting bronchitis such as people who smoke,
people who have had it or pneumonia before, people with a
weakened immune system and anyone with exposure to lung
irritants. Secondhand smoke may also cause chronic bronchitis.
Air pollution, infection, and allergies make chronic bronchitis
worse.
Chronic bronchitis is one of
several forms of COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma are among the
leading lung diseases in the United States.
Identifying a bronchitis symptom
One of the most common
symptoms associated with bronchitis is a severe cough. Often this is what leads people to
seek medical treatment in the first place. Because
bronchitis usually comes along with the common cold or an
upper respiratory infection, you may have symptoms such as
fever, muscle aches, sore throat, nasal congestion and
more.
Coughing is a typical
bronchitis symptom. Your cough from bronchitis may be dry or it
may have phlegm if fluids are already developing there. Your
cough may last two weeks or more. Severe coughing for long
periods of time will make your chest sore and abdominal muscles
sore and can lead to bruising. In some cases, bronchial cough
has been severe enough to injure the chest wall or even cause a
person to pass out.
Wheezing or shortness of
breath is another common bronchitis symptom. So how does
someone get bronchitis? Usually it is caused by a virus or
infection such as influenza (A and B), common colds,
or a lung infection. Certain bacteria can cause
bronchitis as well as irritations from certain fumes or dust.
Tobacco or cigarette smoke is a common cause for many people,
especially children.
Bronchitis treatment
What kind of treatment is
there for bronchitis? Most types of bronchitis are caused by
viral infections which can not be treated with antibiotics.
Usually doctors will help you treat the symptoms until it heals
and goes away on its own. If it is determined that your
bronchitis is caused by a bacterial infection, then antibiotics
may be given.
One way to treat and
prevent bronchitis is to avoid the causes and triggers of it in
the first place. You can also self-treat discomfort at home
with Tylenol (acetaminophen), drinking fluids, using a
vaporizer, etc. Never allow your bronchitis to go untreated,
especially if you see the symptoms are getting worse since it
may develop into a more serious
condition such as pneumonia.
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