Bronchitis - More Than A Cough
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the lining of bronchial tubes,
the airways that connect the trachea (windpipe) to the lungs. It
is a pulmonary disease and is accompanied by inflammation of the
bronchi of the lungs. This infection can be caused by some
infection occurring due to micro organisms which is present in
the air we breathe or due to cold or flu which can aggravate the
bronchial tract and can make it very severe.
Like many other disease it can be chronic as well as acute. If
suffering from chronic bronchitis you would be suffering from
persistent cough which produces sputum for a continuous three
months. The result of an infection caused by the microorganisms
leads to the multiplication of the same, causing irritation of
your bronchial tract. With such an attack of the bacteria the
tubes are swollen and start producing phlegm to fight the
irritation in the throat. This is a two-way-sword because by
producing phlegm it causes difficulty in breathing and one
suffers from wheezing and a bad cough.
Acute bronchitis often begins with a dry and irritating cough
which is due to the inflammation of the bronchial tubes. Some of
the other symptoms are cough which brings up mucus, headache,
continuous feeling of tiredness and fever, cold shivers,
shortness of breath, tightness at the chest and constant
wheezing are to be considered as some of the signs of having
bronchitis.
It usually affects people who are in constant presence of
smokers or are chain smokers themselves. The recovery period for
cold and flu take much longer time than the other people due to
this condition. Having asthma can also trigger some episodes of
bronchitis bouts with the shortness of breath, wheezing and
other factors. If it gets worse, get it treated by a doctor
which is the best thing to do, by which you will get a thorough
check up done.