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McKesson Clinical Reference Systems: Women's Health Advisor 2002.2
Illustration
Chronic Bronchitis
What is chronic bronchitis?
Bronchitis is swelling and irritation of the bronchi, the
airways that connect the windpipe to the lungs. Chronic
means the symptoms occur year after year for months at a
time.
How does it occur?
Smoke or other air pollutants irritate the airways, causing
them to swell and produce mucus. The airways become
narrower and partially blocked by the mucus, making it hard
for air to pass in and out of your lungs. This causes
wheezing and trouble breathing. Chronic bronchitis
slowly gets worse, gradually reducing your ability to
breathe.
Chronic bronchitis can be caused by cigarette smoking and
repeated exposure to other irritants such as dust,
chemicals, or other pollutants. Frequent bacterial
infections of the upper respiratory system can also cause
chronic bronchitis. The upper respiratory system includes
the nose, sinuses, voice box (larynx), and the trachea
(windpipe).
Chronic bronchitis can worsen and become a life-threatening
lung disease called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD), one of the leading causes of death in the US. In
COPD, your airways become damaged and permanently narrowed,
further limiting the amount of oxygen that can get to the
lungs. This puts a strain on the right side of the heart.
Over time, the right side of the heart begins to fail,
causing swelling in the feet and legs.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of chronic bronchitis may include:
- a deep cough, which produces a yellowish mucus or phlegm
from the lungs, most days or every day for weeks or
months
- frequent lung infections
- wheezing and breathlessness.
How is it diagnosed?
Your health care provider will ask about your symptoms and
examine you. You may have the following tests:
- lab tests of sputum (to look for bacterial infection and
other conditions)
- chest x-ray
- pulmonary function test (you breathe into a tube to
measure airflow into and out of your lungs to see how
well your lungs are working)
- blood tests.
How is it treated?
Your health care provider may prescribe:
- Medicine that relaxes and opens the airways (called a
bronchodilator). This makes it easier to breathe. Some
forms of this medicine are taken as pills or liquid.
Some are inhaled. Some need to be used with a nebulizer.
(A nebulizer is a device used to inhale medicine through
a face mask or breathing tube.)
- Antibiotics to treat a bacterial infection. (Be sure to
tell your provider if you are allergic to any antibiotics
or other drugs.)
You may have a follow-up visit with your health care
provider to be sure any infections have been cleared up.
Your provider may want you to schedule regular exams to
check for possible complications.
How long will the effects last?
The symptoms of chronic bronchitis generally last for months
at a time. The symptoms may get better but then occur again
more than once each year, especially during the winter. The
effects last longer as the condition worsens. Your recovery
will take longer or the disease will worsen if you smoke or
have a heart or lung disorder, or if you live where the air
pollution is bad.
How can I take care of myself?
If you cough up blood, see your health care provider right
away to check for more serious disease.
Also, follow these guidelines:
- If you smoke, quit.
- Avoid other people's secondhand smoke.
- Follow your health care provider's instructions.
- Take any medicine, prescription or nonprescription, as
directed by your provider.
- Avoid people with colds or flu.
- If possible, avoid working or living in damp, cold, or
air-polluted conditions.
- Ask your provider about getting flu and pneumonia shots.
- Follow good health practices, such as a healthy diet.
- Get regular exercise, according to your provider's
recommendations.
- Be sure to call your health care provider if your
symptoms do not get better and especially if they get
worse.
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