Acute Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis, inflammation of the passageways for air
moving to and from the lungs, may occur in people of any age.
If you have ever experienced coughing fits or feel as if you
need to breath shallow so as to prevent a nearly uncontrollable
coughing spell, you may have had bronchitis.
Sometimes this condition is difficult to distinguish between
upper respiratory infections and colds, especially in children.
It is usually associated with a runny nose, sore throat and
muscle aches, dry cough, chills and either no fever or a very
low-grade fever lasting three to five days.
Bronchitis may be either acute or chronic, depending on how
long it lasts and how serious the damage.
Acute bronchitis caused by viruses or bacteria most often
occurs in the winter months but acute bronchitis due to environmental
pollutants that attack the mucus membranes within the respiratory
tract may occur at any time during the year.
Most cases of acute bronchitis last a week to ten days,
although the cough may persist longer. Rarely,
bronchitis due to measles may occur in some individuals who have not
been immunized.
If you suspect that you may have acute bronchitis, seek prompt
treatment to prevent serious complications as the inflammatory process
may extend downward into the lungs and into the small air passages and
air sacks, resulting in bronchopneumonia.
Treatment generally includes avoiding fatigue by getting proper
rest, medications that open up the bronchial passages, generous fluid
intake to keep the lung surfaces well hydrated and mucus moist so that
it may cleared from the lungs by coughing.
So, it is generally best to avoid cough suppressants.
Your doctor may also prescribe a course of antibiotics and an
expectorant to help loosen the mucus.
Chronic bronchitis may result from repeated and/or prolonged
irritation of the respiratory tract, leaving the lining red and
inflamed. This may be
caused by allergens and air pollution, although far and away the most
common culprit is tobacco smoke.
This may lead to a destructive process within the small air
sacks of the lungs, resulting in emphysema along with chronic
bronchitis. The
combination of these destructive changes in the lungs may lead to
permanent damage of the respiratory tract.
Unlike acute bronchitis, this form of bronchitis is often
associated with a deep rattling mucus-producing cough.
Once the cough becomes constant, there is usually narrowing of
the airways by a thickened, mucus-producing layer of the bronchial
lining which causes breathing to become increasingly difficult.
The tars and nicotine within tobacco smoke paralyze the cilia
that sweep the air passages clean of foreign irritants; consequently
these irritants may build up and block small air passages, making the
individual more vulnerable to lung infection and spreading tissue
damage.
If you suffer from chronic bronchitis, self-treatment is not
recommended. The use of
another’s inhaler or use of over-the-counter cough medications may
produce undesirable results. If
tobacco smoking is the likely cause and you have had difficulty in
stopping smoking, ask your doctor for guidance as there are a variety
of stop smoking programs that have proven to be effective.
WORLD WIDE WEB RESOURCES
American Lung Association
www.lungusa.org/diseases/lungchronic.html
The American Lung Association’s web site has a
wealth of good information about lung problems, including chronic
bronchitis.
American Institute of Preventive Medicine
www.healthy.net/library/Books/Healthyself/bronchitis.htm
Included in this web site are bronchitis
self-care tips and information on when to seek emergency care and when
to see your physician.
The Office Management of Obstructive Lung
Disease
www.med.stanford.edu/school/DGIM/Teaching/Modules/copd.htm
This is a teaching module on management of
obstructive lung disease, including chronic bronchitis.
Although designed for health care providers, it may also be of
interest to consumer. |
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