WHAT IS BRONCHITIS?

Bronchitis is inflammation and irritation of the lining of the bronchial tubes which carry air to and from the the lungs. It causes a cough that brings up thick yellow grey mucus. A cold or flu runs its course till few weeks but sometimes it may spread to the chest causing acute bronchitis which is common but constant irritation or inflammation of the lining of bronchial tubes may cause chronic bronchitis which is more serious.

Chronic bronchitis is one of the conditions included in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The bouts of chronic bronchitis keep on coming again and again.

RISK FACTORS:

• SMOKING: smoking; active or passive, predisposes to development of bronchitis.

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• POOR IMMUNITY: compromised immune system may predispose to infections.

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• OCCUPATION: those who work around certain lung irritants are at greater risk of development of bronchitis.

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• ACIDITY: severe acidic regurgitation can irritate the throat and make the person prone to development of bronchitis.

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COMPLICATIONS:

Few bouts are although harmless but chronic bronchitis can lead to pneumonia and end up into COPD.

SYMPTOMS & CAUSES

SYMPTOMS

• Cough
• Mucus production which may be clear, white, green or yellow and thick
• Breathlessness
• Chest discomfort
• Fatigue

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CAUSES

Most common cause of bronchitis is cigarette smoking. Then people who work around lung irritants can also develop chronic bronchitis.

Acute bronchitis is often caused by normal common cold virus.

DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENT

DIAGNOSIS

Initially it's hard to differentiate bronchitis from common cold. Chest examination for auscultation may help the physician to listen to the lung sounds. Further tests which could be done include:

• CHEST X-RAY
• SPUTUM TEST
• PULMONARY FUNCTION TEST

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TREATMENT

Conventional treatment includes medicines for cough as antibiotics are of no help in this. Inhalers and puffs are suggested to help inflammation and open narrowed bronchial tubes.

MANAGEMENT

• BREATHING EXERCISES: breathing exercises help in improving a case of bronchitis and would help with the symptoms of bronchitis.

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• HUMIDIFIER: warm and moist air would help in relieving cough and would help in expectorating sputum.

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• USE MASK: wearing mask would help in catching infections from other people. If cold air aggravates cough then mask would help.

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• AVOID LUNG IRRITANTS: if you have constant exposure to lung irritants then avoid them.

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• QUIT SMOKING: as smoking predisposes to chronic bronchitis.

HOMEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT

Homeopathy is an alternative system of medicine which can help you get rid of bronchitis permanently without any side effects. There are many medicines available which are very good and even replace all other kinds of medications, inhalers & puffs.

Medicines like tuberculinum, pulsatilla, blatta, kali carb, natrum sulph etc are very good in treatment of bronchitis but should always be taken only after prescription of a homeopath.

DO’S & DON’TS

DO’S

• Do breathing exercises regularly
• Wear mask
• Use humidifier
• Drink plenty of water
• Take healthy diet
• Wash hands frequently
• Use clean paper tissues
• Add fresh fruits and veggies in your diet

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DON’TS

• Don’t smoke
• Don’t expose to lung irritants
• Don’t come in direct contact with infected person