Chronic Bronchitis

        Chronic bronchitis is a progressive, recurring inflammation of the lower airways of the lungs called the bronchi and the bronchioles. The hallmark of chronic bronchitis is a persistent wet cough and difficulty with breathing that slowly gets worse over time. Chronic bronchitis is a kind of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Chronic bronchitis is a seriously disabling disease with the potential for major complications. Chronic bronchitis is often eventually fatal and is also a major cause of disability. Chronic bronchitis differs from acute bronchitis in that acute bronchitis is caused by a viral infection or bacterial infection and is a relatively short-term illness.
Chronic bronchitis develops most often as a result of smoking, but can also occur from long-term inhalation of irritants into the lungs, such as such as air pollution, chemical fumes, or dust. Chronic bronchitis can also develop due to long-term exposure to second hand smoke. The longer the lungs are exposed to smoke, pollution, or irritants, the higher the risk for developing chronic bronchitis.
In healthy lungs, air and oxygen pass through the upper respiratory tract and into the bronchioles and the alveoli in the lungs. The alveoli are tiny hollow sack-like structures where oxygen is absorbed in to the bloodstream. However, long-term inhalation of smoke or other irritants results in a loss of elasticity in the bronchioles and alveoli, destruction of the walls between alveoli, and swelling and inflammation. There is also an abnormally large amount of mucus production, which can block airways.
The symptoms of chronic bronchitis include shortness of breath, a loose cough that produces large amount of mucus, and chest tightness. Complications of chronic bronchitis can be serious, even life threatening, and result in additional symptoms. For more symptoms and complications, refer to symptoms of chronic bronchitis.
Making a diagnosis of chronic bronchitis begins with taking a thorough medical history, including symptoms, smoking history and exposure to lung irritants. A physical examination is also performed and includes listening with a stethoscope to the sounds that lungs make during respiration. Lung sounds that may point to a diagnosis of chronic bronchitis include wheezing and decreased lung sounds.
Diagnostic testing can include lung function tests, such as a spirometry, which measures how much air is moved in and out of the lungs. A chest X-ray and CT scan of the chest can evaluate such factors as the presence of other conditions that may occur with or worsen chronic bronchitis, such as pneumonia and congestive heart failure. An arterial blood gas tests a sample of blood taken from an artery for many parameters of effective breathing, including the oxygen level in the blood.
It is possible that a diagnosis of chronic bronchitis can be missed or delayed because the disease progresses gradually and because symptoms are similar to symptoms of other diseases and conditions. For more information conditions and diseases that can mimic chronic bronchitis, refer to misdiagnosis of chronic bronchitis.
There is no cure for chronic bronchitis. The damage done to the airways in the lungs by smoke or other irritants is permanent and is not reversible. However, with regular medical care and consistent patient compliance with treatments and lifestyle changes, the symptoms of chronic bronchitis can be minimized and progression of the disease can be slowed. For more information on treatment, refer to treatment of chronic bronchitis. ...more »
Chronic Bronchitis: Chronic bronchitis is a chronic, ongoing, progressive disease of the lower respiratory tract in the lungs. It is one type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The hallmark of chronic bronchitis is a continuing loose, wet cough that produces excessive amounts of mucus.
It is a seriously disabling disease with the potential for major complications and can be fatal, especially when paired with emphysema, another serious respiratory disease and form of COPD. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, COPD is a major cause of disability, and it's the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.
Chronic bronchitis develops most often as a result of smoking, but can also occur from long-term inhalation of other irritants into the lungs. Chronic bronchitis most often develops when irritants are breathed into the respiratory tract and down into the bronchial tubes, small hollow passageways that branch off the main airway from the mouth and nose. Normally, air and needed oxygen pass through the bronchioles into the alveoli, tiny hollow sack-like structures in the lungs where oxygen is absorbed in to the bloodstream. When air is mixed with smoke or irritants, it can damage the lungs and their ability to take in enough oxygen. Long-term inhalation of irritants results in chronic irritation and inflammation of the bronchioles leading to excessive production of mucus, and thickening of the bronchial tubes, resulting in obstruction of airflow into the lungs.
Eventually, the lungs become scarred, and a chronic, ongoing cough develops. The excessive mucus production and inflammation of chronic bronchitis also creates a perfect breeding ground in the lungs for bacteria and viruses that can cause severe, even life threatening infections, such as pneumonia. Infections of the lungs can also further irritate and exacerbate (worsen) chronic bronchitis.
Symptoms of Chronic Bronchitis
The severity of symptoms of chronic bronchitis varies between individuals and the amount of lung damage that has been done. Symptoms are related to the lung damage, impaired breathing and the lower levels of oxygen in the blood that is the result of chronic bronchitis.
Typical symptoms include shortness of breath, especially with exertion, an ongoing loose cough that produces large amount of mucus (smoker's cough). Symptoms can also include wheezing (a whistling sound made with breathing), crackles (a bubbling sound made with breathing) and chest tightness.
Other symptoms can include change in alertness or mental status, fatigue, weakness, confusion, anxiety, dizziness, and pallor or cyanosis (blue tinged coloring of the skin, especially around the mouth in the extremities).
People with chronic bronchitis also often have another lung disease called emphysema as well. Complications of chronic bronchitis can be life- threatening and include pneumonia, heart disease, respiratory failure, and hypertension. Symptoms of complications may include shortness of breath, chest pain, high blood pressure, fever, pallor, change in consciousness, and cardiac arrhythmias....more about Chronic Bronchitis »
Chronic Bronchitis symptoms: Symptoms of chronic bronchitis include a loose, wet cough productive of heavy mucus during most days of the month, three months of a year, in two successive years without another explanation for the cough. In contrast, acute bronchitis manifests in a similar type of cough, but only for a brief time in conjunction with a cold or upper respiratory infection. Symptoms of chronic bronchitis can also include shortness of breath, especially with exertion, wheezing, and chest tightness. Other symptoms can include change in alertness or mental status, confusion, anxiety, fatigue, dizziness, and pallor or cyanosis (blue tinged coloring of the skin, especially around the mouth in the extremities). These symptoms are related to a lack of adequate amounts of oxygen in the blood. People with chronic bronchitis may also experience frequent respiratory infections, bouts of the flu, and swelling in the feet, ankles and legs.
Using a stethoscope, your healthcare professional may also hear rales and/or wheezing in your lungs as you breathe. Rales are abnormal, wet, "bubbling" sounds made with breathing. Wheezing is an abnormal whistling sound.
Not all listed symptoms are always related to chronic bronchitis. Although a wet, loose, productive cough is typical of chronic bronchitis, it and other symptoms can be related to many other potentially serious conditions, including pneumonia and congestive heart failure. Only a thorough evaluation by a professional health care provider can determine what is causing and how to treat your particular symptoms....more about Chronic Bronchitis »
Symptoms of Chronic Bronchitis
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Chronic Bronchitis includes the 20 symptoms listed below:
• Persistent cough
• Productive cough
• Cough with sputum
• Persistent winter cough that disappears in summer - an early symptom
• Excessive airway mucus secretion
• Breathlessness
• Breathlessness on exertion
• Cyanosis
• Mild fever
• Mild chest pain
• Episodes of acute bronchitis - see symptoms of acute bronchitis
• Clubbed fingers
• Persistent cough that produces sputum (phlegm) and mucus (Expectorating or Productive cough), for at least three months in two consecutive years
• Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
• Wheezing
• Chest pains
• Fever
• Fatigue or malaise
• Mucus is often green or yellowish green and also may be orange or pink, depending on the pathogen causing the inflammation