Chronic bronchitis

What is and what is its cause of chronic bronchitis?

Chronic bronchitis It is a lung disease characterized by inflammation of the bronchial tubes, lasting months or years for a long time, or which recurs repeatedly.

It is a clinical concept, in which we find the presence of cough and / or expectoration for 3 months of the year, for a minimum period of 2 consecutive years, once other possible causes have been excluded.

Chronic bronchitis is a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, along with it and asthma.

The main cause of chronic bronchitis is smoking.

What symptoms do you have?

The symptoms that cause chronic bronchitis are the following:

• Coughing up mucus
• respiratory failure
• Frequent respiratory infections
• Wheezing
• Fatigue or dyspnea
• Swelling in the ankles
• Headache

How is it diagnosed?

The diagnosis of chronic bronchitis is basically clinical since a cough and / or expectoration must be present for 3 months a year for 2 consecutive years, and there is no other cause.

To rule out other causes, a series of complementary tests should be performed, among which we highlight:

• Pulmonary function tests
• Arterial blood gas
• The stress test
• The TAC.

How is chronic bronchitis treated?

Chronic bronchitis does not have a treatment with which it can be fully cured, but the treatment serves to improve symptoms and prevent complications of chronic bronchitis, such as more serious cardiac or pulmonary complications.

The most important treatment is

We can also use a number of drugs:

• Inhalers that widen the bronchial tubes and reduce their inflammation.
• antibiotics in the event of an infection.
• Corticosteroids in periods of worsening symptoms
• respiratory physiotherapy exercises
• Oxygen therapy.
• In very few cases you have to undergo surgery.