All About Bronchitis. Symptoms of Bronchitis And Its Treatment

Bronchitis is the inflammation of the bronchi. By its frequency, it occupies the first position among all diseases of the respiratory system. According to statistics, men, old people and children are most often ill. Bronchitis can be of several types: primary, secondary, acute, chronic. Chronic bronchitis has three varieties, it is: obstructive, catarrhal (mucous), purulent.

Acute bronchitis is called acute inflammation of the mucosal surface (shell) of the bronchi. To the emergence of the disease lead: viruses (influenza virus, adenovirus, parainfluenza); Bacteria (streptococcus, pneumococcus); Physical factors (cold air or hot, water vapor); Chemical substances (pairs of salts and alkalis); Allergens.

In addition to the main factors, there are also contributing factors. These include: hypothermia, smoking, drinking alcohol, the presence of infection in the sinuses of the nose, as well as reducing the reactivity of the body due to the presence of other diseases (diabetes mellitus), pregnancy, surgery.

The clinical picture of bronchitis consists of two main syndromes: bronchopulmonary and intoxication. As a rule, the symptoms of bronchitis are very acute, but sometimes they may be preceded by a common cold, hoarseness, swelling in the throat.

Bronchopulmonary syndrome is characterized by cough, which is initially dry, and then gradually becomes wet due to sputum discharge. And also the patient feels a feeling of scratching the sternum. At auscultation dry rales and hard breathing, which change after coughing, can be heard.

Intoxication syndrome is the following symptoms of bronchitis: general malaise, pain in the muscles (aches), fever, lack of appetite, weakness, chills, headache, sticky sweat, drowsiness. To remove intoxication, the patient must take antipyretics and drink more fluid.

At the end of the disease for a while there may be a moist cough (as a result of sputum discharge) and wet rales.

The doctor prescribes treatment aimed at symptoms of bronchitis and removing the cause of the disease. To eliminate cough with bronchitis, you need to take expectorant drugs (mucaltin, bromhexine, ambroxol), with a painful cough - lebeksin or sinecode. Almost always antibiotics (cefolexin, oxacilin) and antiviral (anaferon, remantadine) are prescribed. To improve the effectiveness of drug treatment, the doctor recommends herbal medicine (decoction of herbs: sage, St. John's wort, chamomile, licorice, dog rose) and physiotherapy (compress, mustard). And also it is expedient to drink a course of vitamins.

If the treatment is not properly prescribed or the patient for some reason did not fulfill the doctor's prescription, complications such as pneumonia, acute pulmonary insufficiency and chronic bronchitis may occur.

Chronic bronchitis is the diffuse-progressive inflammation of the bronchial tree. The main cause of its occurrence is improper treatment of acute bronchitis or incomplete recovery.

Symptoms of chronic bronchitis are significantly different from those of acute form. With this course of the disease, the morning begins with a cough and a small amount of mucous sputum. As a rule, signs of bronchitis (chronic) are exacerbated in autumn and winter, that is when the wet and cold season comes. During this period, there is a cough with the discharge of mucous or purulent sputum, often in patients with dyspnea.

If the patient does not seek help during an exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, then there is a high probability of complications such as emphysema , pneumosclerosis, respiratory failure, bronchiectasis.

It is important to remember that the treatment should be prescribed only by a doctor, and the implementation of his recommendations will lead to an early recovery and prevent complications.