What is Bronchitis? Definition<\/h2>\n
It is actually \u2018Bronch\u2019 + \u2018itis\u2019. \u2018Bronch\u2019 is the bronchus and \u2018itis\u2019 refers to inflammation. The inflammation of bronchial tissue is Bronchitis. It results in mucous formation in the lumen of the bronchii [3<\/strong>]<\/sup>, and swelling of the bronchial tissues which in turn leads to the narrowing of the airways.<\/p>\n Once the airways are narrow, breathing becomes difficult. When less O2 is available for the body functions, the different tissues start being affected.<\/p>\n Image 1: Above image shows the gross difference between a normal bronchus and an inflamed bronchus. You can see the yellowish mucous lining inside the bronchial tube.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The lining of the respiratory tubes is by ciliated columnar epithelium. \u2018Cilia\u2019 are minute hair like structures. Whenever any particles or organisms get into the respiratory path, they are collected and pushed out by the cilia[4<\/strong>]<\/sup>.<\/p>\n In case of bronchitis, they are lodged within the tract and are not pushed out as the mucous covering the lining prevents the cilia from acting effectively. This results in the infection of already inflamed tubes.<\/p>\n Acute and Chronic bronchitis are though having some similarities, are completely different in their cause and presentation [3<\/strong>]<\/sup>.<\/p>\n Acute bronchitis<\/strong><\/p>\n Chronic bronchitis<\/strong><\/p>\n Surely it is contagious, but not all bronchitis is contagious. The infective agents like viruses and bacteria which causes acute bronchitis, can spread from person to person.<\/p>\n Viral bronchitis is highly contagious as it can spread through the air in form of droplets which are expelled from the infected person by means of coughing, sneezing or talking.<\/p>\n Acute bronchitis caused by virus or bacteria can spread by direct contact. The infective organisms maybe present on the suffering partners mouth and lips. This can easily get transferred to his\/her partner while kissing.<\/p>\n Acute bronchitis can be treated with ease and recovers well. But, if it is not treated, it advances to pneumonia<\/em><\/strong>, or sometimes chronic bronchitis. Both of them can be potentially dangerous. [10<\/strong>]<\/sup><\/p>\n As said earlier, acute and chronic bronchitis differ in their symptoms too. If any of the following symptoms are seen, it is pertinent to visit your family doctor for diagnosis and treatment. [8, 9<\/strong>]<\/sup><\/p>\n Acute bronchitis mostly resolves by itself. Sometimes specific treatments may be required, which varies from person to person [14<\/strong>]<\/sup>.<\/p>\n Chronic bronchitis is little more difficult to treat. They may require oxygen support, appropriate positioning of the patient, bronchodilators, periodic nebulization, antibiotic therapy and corticosteroids according to necessity [18, 19<\/strong>]<\/sup>.<\/p>\n In severe cases, pulmonary rehabilitation, lung volume reduction surgery or even lung transplant may be required [18, 19<\/strong>]<\/sup>.<\/p>\n Antibiotics are useful only in cases of bronchitis caused by bacteria. The organism stops spreading within 3-4 days of starting antibiotics in those cases where the disease is caused by bacteria. But remember, it can still be contagious if it is caused by viruses.<\/p>\n Acute bronchitis by bacteria responds to antibiotic therapy. It might take 2-3 days to completely stop spreading the infection by the bacteria. So we can safely say that, 3-4 days after starting antibiotics, bacterial acute bronchitis stops spreading.<\/p>\n In most conditions, acute bronchitis resolves by itself. But few may require the supportive treatment. In few people, acute bronchitis may progress into pneumonia or chronic bronchitis if left untreated.<\/p>\n Chronic bronchitis can result in Cor pulmonale (A condition in which health of heart is affected by disease in the lung) or respiratory failure.<\/p>\n Acute bronchitis may resolve within a period of few days to 3 weeks<\/strong><\/em> [6<\/strong>]<\/sup>. Chronic bronchitis has a longer outlook. Generally it stays until the patient dies. Whenever an exacerbation of the symptoms occurs, appropriate treatment is given for recovery.<\/p>\n General measures such as washing hands and face frequently, drinking plenty of fluids, avoid smoking, protective masks while traveling outside home, adequate rest and nutrient rich food to boost the immunity can help to prevent bronchitis to a limit.<\/p>\n References:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Bronchitis, an inflammatory condition of the bronchus, has many interesting facts to be known about. Various causes of inflammation and irritation in the bronchus can lead to the condition. In the US alone, more than 10 million people had chronic bronchitis in 2011[1, 2]. It was also noted that women had chronic bronchitis at double […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diseases-and-conditions"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emedicalupdates.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emedicalupdates.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emedicalupdates.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emedicalupdates.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emedicalupdates.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=798"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/emedicalupdates.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/798\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":958,"href":"https:\/\/emedicalupdates.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/798\/revisions\/958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emedicalupdates.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emedicalupdates.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emedicalupdates.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Is](\"https:\/\/emedicalupdates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Is-bronchitis-contagious-pcitures.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"bronchitis](\"https:\/\/emedicalupdates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/bronchitis-are-affecting-the-air-passage-through-the-bronchial-tube.jpg\")
\nImage2:\u00a0 Here you can find how the changes due to bronchitis are affecting the air passage through the bronchial tube.<\/p>\nWhat are the types of Bronchitis?<\/h2>\n
What causes Bronchitis?<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
Is bronchitis contagious?<\/h2>\n
Can bronchitis by virus spread?<\/h2>\n
Is bronchitis contagious through kissing?<\/h2>\n
Is Bronchitis deadly?<\/h2>\n
What are the symptoms in Bronchitis?<\/h2>\n
\n\n
\n Acute bronchitis<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n Chronic bronchitis<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Productive cough with Yellow or greenish mucous<\/span><\/td>\n Productive cough with or without streaks of blood<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Painful chest due to cough<\/span><\/td>\n Wheeze<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Sore throat<\/span><\/td>\n Fatigue<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Fever<\/span><\/td>\n Headache<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Wheeze<\/span><\/td>\n Difficulty in breathing<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Fatigue<\/span><\/td>\n Color change in lips may occur to blue<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Weakness<\/span><\/td>\n Pedal oedema-<\/strong> Swelling in the ankles or feet<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n How is bronchitis diagnosed?<\/h2>\n
\n
What is the treatment for bronchitis?<\/h2>\n
\n
Is bronchitis contagious even after taking antibiotics?<\/h2>\n
How long does bronchitis remain contagious?<\/h2>\n
What happens if bronchitis is not treated in time?<\/h2>\n
How long does it take to recover from bronchitis?<\/h2>\n
Is there any way we can prevent bronchitis?<\/h2>\n
\n