What is Bronchitis?
- Bronchitis is defined as persistent cough with sputum production for atleast 3 month in 2 consecutive years
There are three types of bronchitis:
- simple chronic bronchitis: it Is a kind of bronchitis in which cough is present with no physiologic evidence of airflow obstruction.
- chronic asthmatic bronchitis: it is kind of bronchitis in which hyper reactive airways is present with intermittent bronchospasm and wheezing
- obstructive chronic bronchitis: it is a kind of bronchitis in which there is development of chronic airflow obstruction_ emphysema in a heavy smokers
What are the causes of Bronchitis?
- Chronic irritation by inhaled substances
- Microbial infection
- Middle age
- Cigarette smoking
- Other pollutants like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide,
- Hyper secretion of mucus in large airways- hallmark of chronic bronchitis
- Hypertrophy of the submucosal glands of trachea and bronchioles
- Marked increased in goblet cells of small airways
What is the Pathophysiology of Bronchitis?
- Hypermeia, swelling of mucus membrane
- Increased number of goblet cells
- Bronchial wall become thickened, bronchial lumen is narrowed
- Mucus may plug airwayAlveoli adjacent to bronchioles may damaged and fibrosed
- Respiratory infection
- Bronchitis
What are the clinical features of Bronchitis?
- Persistent productive cough with copious sputum
- Dyspnea on exertion
- Hypercapnia, hypoxemia, and mild cyanosis
- Cor-pulmonale with cardiac failure
- Chest pressure, headache, shortness of breath, sleeping difficulty,or sore throat
- Fatigue or malaise
- death
What are the diagnostic evaluation for Bronchitis?
- history taking: take the history of the patient like personal history, history of smoking, history of bronchitis in family member, allergy history, history of infection, any past medical and surgical history
