Cure and Symptoms of Chronic Bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis is similar to acute bronchitis but in chronic bronchitis the inflammation persists and gets worse. In its early stages, chronic bronchitis is difficult to detect. However, it is dangerous, because repeated infections of the bronchi and bronchioles thicken and distort the lining of these tubes. This causes them to narrow and become obstructed by the secretion of too much mucus and by excessive contraction of the muscles in their walls.
What are the Symptoms?
The first symptom of chronic bronchitis is a morning cough that brings up phlegm, or sputum. Smokers may regard the cough, if they notice it at all, as a "normal" smoker's cough. Over the years the amount of phlegm gradually increases, and the coughing continues all day. Breathlessness and wheeziness become increasingly troublesome.
In the early stages of chronic bronchitis, only bad colds or influenza cause flare-ups. In the later stages, every minor head cold can bring on a severe attack. Many sufferers have several flare-ups every winter. One definition of chronic bronchitis is a recurrent cough with phlegm production that occurs on most days during at least three months a year, usually in winter, for at least two consecutive years.
In the last stages of the disease, coughing, breathlessness, and wheezing occur on a nearly continuous basis.
What are the Risks?
If you smoke, you are more likely to get chronic bronchitis than if you are a nonsmoker. Children of heavy smokers may be affected too. As infants they seem to be particularly susceptible to acute bronchitis and pneumonia , and these disorders increase the risk of chronic bronchitis. The disease is more common in men than in women by three to one. Because air pollution can trigger it, it is also more common in industrialized countries and in urban areas than in developing countries and rural areas,
If you have chronic bronchitis and do not obtain treatment for it in its early stages. there are several risks, including death, involved. Usually, the disease has an established cyclical pattern of bronchial infection. which damages your lungs, and in turn lead, to an increase in your vulnerability to further bronchial infection. If the infection eventually spreads into the alveoli, or air sacs at the ends of the bronchioles in the lungs, you ma: contract either pneumonia or emphysema . Chronic bronchitis may also lead to pulmonary hypertension and right-sided heart failure . Also, your entire respiratory system could fail, which is a medical emergency .
Some people who have chronic bronchitis gradually become blue around the lips and in the rest of the face because they are not getting enough oxygen. They may eventually experience respiratory failure because their lungs cannot supply their bodies with enough oxygen. Others develop lung cancer not because chronic bronchitis causes cancer, but because smoking is a cause of both diseases. If you have chronic bronchitis and you notice a marked increase in breathlessness and a change in the nature of your cough, these signs of deterioration in your condition may be the first signs of cancer.
What should be Done?
If you have a morning cough with phlegm and if you smoke, you have even more reason to stop smoking. If the symptoms persist, consult your physician, who will probably consider such factors as your smoking habits and where you live and work before making any recommendations. If necessary, your doctor will recommend some diagnostic tests, which may include a chest X-ray and pulmonary function tests.
What is the Treatment?
Self help: If you have chronic bronchitis, give up smoking and avoid smoke-filled rooms. Stay away from people who have colds. A cold, which is a minor illness to a person with healthy lungs, may cause an attack of bronchitis for you. If you work or live in a polluted atmosphere, you should consider changing jobs or moving. If you move, try to go to not only a cleaner, but also a warmer, drier environment. You are running a risk if you spend your winters in a cold, damp place.
Professional help
The treatment depends mainly on how far the disorder has progressed before you consult your physician. If you are already suffering from breathlessness, the doctor will probably prescribe an aerosol inhaler. Use it three or four times a day to relax the wall muscles of your bronchi. This will widen the airways in your lungs. If you are having a bad attack of infection and coughing up phlegm, your physician may prescribe an antibiotic. If you are having a particularly serious attack, your doctor may give you the antibiotic by injection, because that is by far the quickest way to get the drug to the source of the infection.
Your physician may prescribe small doses of an antibiotic for a period of several weeks or even months to prevent bacterial infection, or advise you to take a full dose only at the first sign of a flare-up of bronchitis. There is no consensus among physicians about the best way to treat chronic bronchitis. Although antibiotics are not effective against viral infection, they are often prescribed even when a virus rather than a bacterium causes an attack. This is because a viral infection may increase the chances of bacterial infection in the lungs.
Chronic bronchitis can adversely affect your heart. If there is any indication that this is happening or that you are likely to contract a second lung disease such as emphysema or cancer, treatment will be determined accordingly. Also, your physician may suggest that you undergo special lung and heart tests.