Inflammation - bronchi

Alternative names

Bronchitis

Definition

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the main air passages to the lungs. Bronchitis may be sudden (acute) and short-lived, or chronic, meaning that it lasts a long time and often recurs. To be classified as chronic, you must have a cough with mucus most days of the month for three months out of the year.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Acute bronchitis generally follows a viral respiratory infection. Initially, it affects your nose, sinuses, and throat and then spreads to the large bronchial airway passages. Sometimes, you may get what is called a secondary bacterial infection. This means that bacteria infect the airways, in addition to the virus. The already inflamed area is one in which bacteria like to grow.

People at risk for acute bronchitis include:

• Elderly, infants, and young children
  
• Smokers
  
• People with heart or lung disease
  

Chronic bronchitis is a long-term condition of excessive mucus with a productive cough. This ongoing condition is inflammation but not infection. It blocks air flow in and out of the lungs.

Chronic bronchitis, like emphysema, is also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. As these lung conditions progress over time, you become increasingly short of breath, have difficulty walking or exerting yourself physically, and may need oxygen on a regular basis.

Cigarette smoke is the chief cause of chronic bronchitis, including long-term exposure to second-hand smoke.

Factors that make it worse include air pollution, certain occupations (like coal mining, textile manufacturing, or grain handling), infection, and allergies.

The severity of the disease often relates to how much and for how long you have smoked (or been exposed to smoke).

Chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma as a group are the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States. Two to three out of 100 people have chronic bronchitis.

Symptoms

The symptoms of either type of bronchitis include:

• Cough that produces mucus; if yellow-green in color, you are more likely to have a bacterial infection
  
• Shortness of breath worsened by exertion or mild activity
  
• Wheezing
  
• Fatigue
  
• Fever - usually low
  
• Chest discomfort