What is Chronic Bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis is a long term manifestation occurring as a result of inflammation of bronchi, which results to increased production of mucous hindering the flow of air into the respiratory system. To be labeled chronic bronchitis certain fixed criteria have to be adhered to. They are:
-For two years in a row cough with expectoration for minimum of a period exceeding three months.
-Other lung diseases must have been carefully examined.
The most common complication that a patient suffers is the shortness of breath so much so that it leads to problems with day to day activities.
One of the major factors leading to chronic bronchitis is smoking, and smokers have a high susceptibility of the same. In the incipient stages of the disease, the patient is troubled by severe cough in early hours of the day, but as the pathology of the disease manifests towards long term the patient suffers from continued bouts of cough with expectoration of mucus. This occurrence in layman terms is known as smokers cough.
In the initial stages of the disease the larger bronchi are affected, but in time even the smaller bronchi are affected. As the condition reaches this stage the patient's VP ratio (ventilation perfusion ratio) balance is affected i.e the balance between the air breathed in and expiration. The results of this abnormal VP ratio lead to various conditions like decreased amount of mixed air in blood or hypoxemia leading to enhanced complications like heavy breathing which if not corrected finally leads to cor pulmonale.
When compared to acute bronchitis chronic bronchitis as the name suggests is a far dangerous condition, the patients suffering from acute bronchitis can be easily treated with antihistamines and antibiotics but the same holds true for chronic bronchitis because of enhanced chances of reoccurring bacterial and fungal infections.
Hence the patients suffering from chronic bronchitis are warned to take care of themselves and inform about the minutest of difficulties and get admitted into the intensive care units of hospitals till they feel better.
As the disease advances there is decreased ciliary motility therefore the difficulty in coughing out the mucous, this coupled with inflammation of bronchi leads to decreased safety against air borne and droplet infections.
Chronic bronchitis is a difficult disease often occurring in tandem with other respiratory conditions like emphysema and asthma. And in advanced stages of chronic bronchitis coupled with emphysema there is an overall decrease in the dead space volume and the condition may lead to blue bloaters in which the whole skin has a bluish tinge or cyanosis for want of oxygen.
Chronic bronchitis as a disease grows slowly but unfortunately it has no cure and the only treatments are directed in direction of relieving of presenting symptoms.
About the Author
To grab a copy of Amy's Free Chronic Bronchitis eBook, and read more articles related to The Definition of Chronic Bronchitis, please visit her chronic bronchitis website at http://www.chronicbronchitishelp.com .
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