Chronic Bronchitis- Causes, Symptoms,Types, Diagnosis And Treatment

What is Chronic Bronchitis : 

 Bronchitis is an inflammation of the airways in the lungs. Airways are the tubes in your lungs that air passes through. They are also called bronchial tubes.Bronchitis causes a cough that produces mucus (sometimes called sputum), trouble breathing and a feeling of tightness in your chest.Chronic bronchitis is lasts longer than 3 months.

 Types of Chronic Bronchitis : 

 There are two main types of bronchitis 01.Acute (short term) and 02. Chronic (ongoing). 

 01.Acute (short term)Bronchitis :
 Acute bronchitis is bronchitis that is short-lived; the bronchitis lasts about two weeks and usually people recover with no permanent damage to the bronchial tree. 
 02. Chronic (ongoing)Bronchitis : 
 Chronic bronchitis is defined as a cough that occurs every day with sputum production that lasts for at least 3 months, two years in a row.Chronic bronchitis is a serious, long-term medical condition. Early diagnosis and treatment, combined with quitting smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke, can improve quality of life. The chance of complete recovery is low for people who have severe chronic bronchitis.

 Causes of Chronic Bronchitis : 

There can be many causes of chronic bronchitis-
 01. Cigarette smoking is the main cause of chronic bronchitis.about 90% of cases of chronic bronchitis are    directly or indirectly related with Cigarette smoking.
 02. Long Term Pneumonia.
 03. smog, industrial pollutants, and solvents
 04. Viral and bacterial infections that result in acute bronchitis may lead to chronic bronchitis.
 05. Also, underlying disease processes (for example, asthma, cystic fibrosis, immunodeficiency, congestive heart failure, familial genetic predisposition to bronchitis, and congenital or acquired dilation of the bronchioles, known as bronchiectasis) may cause chronic bronchitis to develop, but these are infrequent causes compared to cigarette smoking.

Signs and symptoms of Chronic Bronchitis :

 01. Cough (also known as a productive cough, that produces sputum).
 02. Shortness of breath.
 03. Chest pains.
 04. Fever .
 05. Mucus is often green or yellowish green and also may be orange or pink.
 06.Fatigue.
 07. Muscle aches.
 08. Nasal congestion.
 09. Viral or bacterial lung infection. 

 How is chronic bronchitis diagnosed?

   01. A physical examination will often reveal diminished breath sounds.
   02. Pulmonary Function Tests (PFT)
   03. A chest X-ray that reveals hyperinflation; collapse and consolidation of lung areas would support diagnosis of pneumonia.
   04. complete blood count (CBC) and C-reactive protein)
   05. High Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT)
   06. CT scan of the chest 

 Treatment of Chronic Bronchitis :

 Only about 5-10% of bronchitis cases are caused by a bacterial infection. Most cases of bronchitis are caused by a viral infection and are “self-limited” and resolve themselves in a few weeks. Your doctor may prescribe a medicine called a bronchodilator to treat your chronic bronchitis. This medicine dilates (or opens) the airways in your lungs and helps you breathe better. If you have severe shortness of breath, your doctor may also prescribe medicine (such as theophylline) for you to take in pill form.Antibiotics (amoxicillin or doxycycline) may be needed if you get a lung infection along with your chronic bronchitis. Your doctor may also prescribe oxygen therapy.Exercising regularly can strengthen the muscles that help you breathe.