When inflammation and infection strike at the windpipe and the airways in the lungs, it is called bronchitis. The airways in the lungs have a mucous lining to keep them moist and when this lining gets infected and irritated, it swells up and there is excess mucus and fluids produced. In order to clear this excess fluid from the lungs, the body uses the mechanism of coughing to expel it and it is the cough that usually is the most uncomfortable symptom of bronchitis. Bronchitis can affect anyone, any age and it can be an acute attack or a chronic attack. The acute type progresses very rapidly and the symptoms could be severe while the chronic type can be mild but can last for months, even years. Smokers are particularly susceptible to chronic bronchitis.
Bronchitis was given its name by Charles Badham way back in 1808. The word comes from ‘bronchi’ which are the respiratory air tubes and ‘itis’ which means inflammation. This does not mean that the disease did not exist before that – many ancient texts refer to the problem of excessive phlegm in the system. However, it was called bronchitis for the first time in the early nineteenth century and that’s what it has been known as since then. Bronchitis is caused by viruses or bacteria and can be very contagious. A few of viruses that are responsible are the adenoviridae, the rhino and the flu viruses as well as bacteria like pneumococcus, mycoplasma, haemophilus and klebsiella. How do these get into the respiratory tract? When we breathe, tiny hairs in the nostrils called cilia filter out the dust and the germs from the air we breathe. However, sometimes viruses and bacteria slip though and this can happen more so when the air is full of them. Then, the infection goes down the wind pipe or the trachea and from there to the airways or bronchioles, infecting them and causing inflammation and excess mucus. Coughing is the body’s way to try and get rid of this excess fluid in the lungs. In the normal state, there is a very thin film of mucus which lines all the respiratory organs. When you have bronchitis, there is so much mucus that it becomes difficult to breathe. Bronchitis needs you to be under a doctor’s care and though he will probably treat you with aspirins and cough suppressants, he will keep an eye on you to check if the disease is progressing to any complications.
When you get infected and you can see the symptoms of bronchitis making an appearance, what you have is acute bronchitis. This is an attack where the symptoms come on suddenly and where you feel ill for anything from a week to a couple of weeks. You could infect others during the first week that you are ill. The bacteria or the viruses affect the windpipe as well as the airways in the lungs and there could be a lot of excessive mucus. In chronic bronchitis, the problem may set in quite slowly. This condition is usually the result of smoking or other pollutants and when the lungs and the windpipe are inflamed and irritated because of the pollutants, the viruses and bacteria find it easier to attack. The condition could slowly develop for years, sometimes with fewer symptoms and sometimes flaring up. You need to have had it for a while before it will be diagnosed as a chronic case of bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis could affect passive smokers as well. One of the complications of chronic bronchitis is the person’s susceptibility to pneumonia.
If you know someone with bronchitis, you need to take precautions so you won’t get it. Washing your hands as often as possible is one way that you can try and prevent being infected. However, even if you do not have direct contact with the person who is suffering from it, you can get it, very often because the person could sneeze or cough and the germs get dispersed in the air. This is a problem especially in closed environments like offices where many people are breathing the same air. Today, there are vaccinations that help protect you against infections like the flu and bronchitis and this is one way you can prevent getting it. Bronchitis is usually at the infectious stage during the first week of the infection though the condition can exhibit symptoms of coughing, a runny nose or sneezing for a few weeks.
Probably the best way to prevent getting bronchitis is to keep your immune system in good order. It is when your immune system is weak that you fall prey to diseases. You can do this by staying fit with exercise, eating nutritious food, upping your intake of Vitamin C during the colds and flu season and avoiding processed and refined foods. When the body’s immune system is strong, infection finds it difficult to get a toehold in the body.