Chronic
Bronchitis
What
is chronic bronchitis?
Chronic bronchitis) is an inflammation
of the lining of the tubes that connect the windpipe with the
lungs. When these tubes, called bronchi, are inflamed or infected,
less air is able to get to and from the lungs, which causes
mucus or phlegm to be coughed up. This is bronchitis. Lots of
us suffer a short bout of acute bronchitis with cough and mucus
production when they have a bad cold. Acute bronchitis does
not usually cause a fever.
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Chronic bronchitis is defined by the presence of a mucus-producing
cough most days of the month, three months of a year for two
successive years without any other underlying disease to explain
the cough. It may precede or accompany pulmonary emphysema.
The causes may include:
Smoking
is by far the most common cause. The bronchial tubes of people
with chronic bronchitis could also have been irritated
by bacteria or virus infections. Air pollution, industrial dusts
and fumes are also causes.
Once
the bronchial tubes have been irritated over a long period of
time, excessive mucus is produced all the time, the lining of
the bronchial tubes becomes thickened, an bad cough develops,
and the air flow may be restricted. The bronchial tubes then
make an ideal breeding place for infections.
Who
suffers from chronic bronchitis?
Every year over 11 million Americans are diagnosed with chronic
bronchitis. More females get it than males. It affects
people of all ages, but is higher in those over 45 years old.
No matter who you are, what your occupation or lifestyle is, if
you smoke cigarettes you are most likely to develop it. But workers
with certain jobs, especially those involving lots of dust, particles
and irritating fumes, are also at high risk of developing chronic
bronchitis.
Higher rates of chronic bronchitis are found among coal
miners, grain handlers, metal moulders, and other workers exposed
to dust. Symptoms worsen when air pollutants such as sulphur dioxide
increase. These symptoms are made a lot worse when the person
also smokes.
How serious is it?
Very
serious indeed. In the year 2000, over 11 million Americans
were diagnosed and during that same year over 1,100 American
died of it. But even this figure is an underestimate of the
number of deaths actually caused by chronic bronchitis.
Together with emphysema and other chronic lower respiratory
disease, excluding asthma, COPD is the fourth leading cause
of death in the US.
This form of bronchitis is often ignored by people until
it is in an advanced state, because people believe that the
disease is not life-threatening. But they are wrong. By the
time a patient goes to his or her doctor the lungs have frequently
been seriously damaged. Then the patient may be in danger of
developing serious respiratory problems or heart failure.
This form of bronchitis moves slowly. A cold will often
seem to linger. The sufferer will cough up large amounts of
phlegm, often for several weeks. As people who get bronchitis
are often smokers, the cough is usually dismissed as only "smoker's
cough."
As time goes on, the coughing continues. The period of coughing
up phlegm lasts longer after each cold.
The person often doesn't notice it, but coughing becomes a way
of life. Usually, the cough is worse in the morning and in damp,
cold weather.
Treatment
for chronic bronchitis:
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The conventional treatment of chronic bronchitis is usually
aimed at reducing irritation in the bronchial tubes. Antibiotics
have also been helpful in treating infections associated with
chronic bronchitis. However, people with bronchitis that
is chronic must not take antibiotics continually.
Other drugs, such as bronchodilator drugs may be used to help
relax and open up air passages in the lungs. These drugs may
be inhaled as aerosol sprays or taken as pills.
To control chronic bronchitis, it is necessary to keep
smoke and dust particles out of the nose, throat, mouth, sinuses,
and lungs. This means an individual must avoid polluted air
and dusty working conditions and give up smoking. In the US,
the local American Lung Association can suggest methods to help
you quit smoking.
If the person with chronic bronchitis is exposed to dust
and fumes at work, then they must change their work environment.
All persons with chronic bronchitis should follow a plan
for a healthy lifestyle. Improving one's general health also
increases the body's resistance to infections.
What
to do if you have chronic bronchitis:
A
good health plan should include these rules:
A
good health plan should include these rules:
Remember
to check out the excellent treatment
for chronic
bronchitis . This new treatment
is a natural remedy and it simply involves using three readily
available plant extracts and a mineral. This unique remedy seems
to work by killing the bacteria and viruses that cause infection
in the lungs.
This new bronchitis discovery is proving very popular and effective.
For more details of this simple and unique remedy please click Chronic
Bronchitis
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