General Terms
To grapple with bronchitis, it is necessary to find out its definition. The bronchi are part of a human respiratory system, looks like tubes that connect trachea to lung tissue. The trachea is related to two main bronchi, each of which in turn divides to form an entire network of pipes and tubes (bronchi and bronchioles) that carry air into lungs tissue when breathing. At the end of this small tube, alveoli are placed. When bronchitis disease is present, bronchi are inflamed or secreted too much mucus in a bronchial lumen.
What Causes Bronchitis?
The inflammation is usually caused by:
- viruses (the same as those that cause acute respiratory diseases, flu);
- secondary bacterial infection (infectious bronchitis);
- variety of toxic chemicals;
- dust;
- ammonia (used in a variety of cleaning agents);
- smoking.
People, with other lung diseases such as asthma, as well as people suffering from chronic sinusitis, can often get sick with bronchitis.
Bronchitis usually obtains mild character and most often does not cause long-term disability violations, but in older people, smokers or patients suffering from chronic heart and lung disease can possess serious problems.
Bronchitis Symptoms
Acute Bronchitis Symptoms
Acute bronchitis usually occurs in winter. It generally begins with symptoms that resemble a common cold, especially fatigue and sore throat, then cough appears. At the beginning, cough is more often dry, but later it becomes moist with white, yellow or greenish sputum. In more serious cases, increase in temperature can be observed.
If bronchitis symptoms persist and even increase, a doctor may send you to chest X-ray to make sure that there is no pneumonia (lungs inflammation), which can be a serious bronchial complication.
What is Chronic Bronchitis and its Symptoms?
The term “chronic bronchitis”, unlike acute bronchitis, is used to indicate long-term medical disease not disappearing for several months. A cough and sputum production may be repeated every year and every next time longer than before. Chronic bronchitis is caused by prolonged inhalation of various irritants, such as cigarette smoke.
The main difference in processes of lungs during acute and chronic bronchitis is that at chronic bronchitis bronchial mucosa produces more sputum, which causes coughing, whereas in infectious bronchitis cough occurs mainly due to airway inflammation. One of the most common causes of chronic bronchitis is constant smoking.
Quite often prolonged exposure to irritants leads to progressive deterioration and inflammation or scarring of small airways leading to difficulty with breathing. In this case, emphysema may appear, especially when these irritants can cause alveoli destruction. It leads to the fact that patient is breathing making some physical efforts. Bronchitis and emphysema occur as independent diseases but often accompany each other.
Common symptoms of chronic bronchitis:
- cough;
- dyspnea;
- sputum discharge;
- wheezing;
- bloody expectoration;
- asthmatic syndrome;
- cyanosis.
What can you Do?
If you smoke, it is best to avoid smoking for at least as long until noticeable relief will appear, and better till complete recovery. However, you must understand that continuation of smoking greatly increases the risk of developing chronic bronchitis and other serious pulmonary and respiratory diseases.
What can Doctor Offer?
Bronchitis is a quite serious illness. Only a doctor may correct diagnosis or select alternative therapy.
If you have acute bronchitis, a doctor may recommend you:
- to have bed rest;
- to drink plenty of liquid;
- to prescribe analgesics and antipyretics (paracetamol) available on Canadian Pharmacy.
If yellow or greenish mucus is discharged or body temperature persists for a long time, it is likely that this is bacterial bronchitis. In this case, a doctor may prescribe antibiotics, which quickly cope with infection. In case of chronic bronchitis, a doctor can give you some recommendations. The doctor likely will recommend stopping smoking, because it significantly slows disease progression and may reduce dyspnea.
He may prescribe bronchodilators such as Advair, Proventil or Ventolin inhaler ordered via My Canadian Pharmacy. These drugs expand airways and ease breathing. They are often administered by inhalation (using a variety of devices, inhalers). In case of bronchitis exacerbation, it is prescribed sometimes corticosteroids and antibiotics. In severe cases, or when frequent exacerbations are observed, corticosteroids usage may be permanent.
Bronchitis Prevention
Annual influenza vaccination reduces the likelihood of influenza in an autumn-winter period and therefore can be recommended for patients with chronic bronchitis.Vaccination against pneumococcal disease is also recommended for patients with chronic bronchitis.