Chronic bronchitis

Article: • • • • • Clinical presentation Persistent productive cough for many years without any additional respiratory impairments, but eventually dyspnea on exertion develops. After some time other signs of COPD may appear, including hypercapnia, hypoxemia and mild 4. Pathology Chronic bronchitis most often results from overproduction and hypersecretion of mucus by goblet cells. The mechanism is not entirely clear but is linked to both hypertrophy of submucosal glands ( 4. This can, in turn, lead to worsening airflow obstruction by luminal obstruction of small airways, epithelial remodeling, and alteration of airway surface tension predisposing to collapse. • 1. de Oca MM, Halbert RJ, Lopez MV et-al. The chronic bronchitis phenotype in subjects with and without COPD: the PLATINO study. Eur. Respir. J. 2012;40 (1): 28-36. • 2. Kim V, Criner GJ. Chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2013;187 (3): 228-37. • 3. Kim V, Han MK, Vance GB et-al. The chronic bronchitic phenotype of COPD: an analysis of the COPDGene Study. Chest. 2011;140 (3): 626-33. • 4. Aster JC. Robbins and Cotran pathologic basis of disease. Saunders. ISBN:1455726133.

Chronic bronchitis is a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Doctors consider COPD an umbrella term that also includes the medical condition COPD is a serious medical condition that can affect your quality of life and overall health. Knowing your risk factors and treating chronic bronchitis as early as possible can help keep your lungs working well. Bronchitis is an inflammation of the airways in your lungs. These air passages are known as bronchi. Sometimes, bronchitis is acute or short term. Other times, bronchitis is long lasting. Doctors call this long-term type Chronic bronchitis can get worse or better, but it never fully goes away. Symptoms can often worsen over time, making it hard for you to breathe. Doctors do not know exactly how many people have chronic bronchitis. Estimates range from With lung disease, there is restrictive lung disease and obstructive lung disease. Chronic bronchitis and Obstructive lung disease prevents you from exhaling all the air from your lungs, while restrictive lung disease decreases the volume of air you can inhale. If you have chronic bronchitis, you may build up a lot of phlegm or mucus in your lungs. This keeps your lungs from working well. You may also start to cough a lot because your lungs are trying to get the mucus out. The most common risk factor for chronic bronchitis is smoking cigarettes, according to the But smoking is not the only risk factor. Other risk factors include: • having a history of frequent ch...

• Acute bronchitis often occurs at the tail end of a cold or the flu. Instead of improving, a person may develop a low-grade fever and a bothersome cough. Roughly 90% of the time, acute bronchitis is viral in origin, so antibiotics are not helpful. Home remedies may ease the symptoms until they resolve on their own, though a cough may persist for several weeks. • Chronic bronchitis is considered by many to be a form of It’s important to note that, in addition to these complications, repeated episodes of acute bronchitis (especially in people who smoke or who are exposed to dust at work) can eventually lead to chronic bronchitis. This progression from acute bronchitis to chronic bronchitis is an important reason to talk to your healthcare provider if you are experiencing repeated symptoms and to eliminate potential causes, such as smoking. Secondary Infections Secondary bacterial infections or “superinfections” are not uncommon following an episode of acute viral bronchitis and can both lengthen and worsen the illness. • Damage to the airways (the cilia that catch debris and bacteria) can make it easier for these foreign invaders to gain access to areas such as the sinuses or lungs. • Viral infections can also affect the immune system (for example, by reducing the number of macrophages that “eat” bacteria) such that bacteria are allowed to grow and multiply. • Viruses such as influenza may disrupt the normally tight junctions between the cells lining the airways such that b...