Short-term inflammation of the bronchi, which is defined asacute bronchitis, is usually triggered by an infection.
Air must travel through the bronchi before reaching the lungs.
With bronchitis, these passageways are not clear and wide as they should be.
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The resulting bronchial obstruction is why people who have bronchitis may experience wheezing and shortness of breath.
A cough is the bodys attempt to rid itself of irritants in the respiratory system.
Both acute and chronicbronchitisare characterized by inflammation that obstructs air passageways.
The triggers that cause inflammation may be different in acute bronchitis and chronic bronchitis.
Chronic Bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis develops over time.
Often, bronchi become damaged when exposed to inhaled chemicals because the chemicals require passage through the bronchi.
This produces an inflammatory reaction of the bronchi.
For example, people who breathe in toxic fumes at work can develop chronic bronchitis.
Acute bronchitis is typically not thought to cause chronic bronchitis.
These symptoms would be more likely to linger than they would if you did not have chronic bronchitis.
Chronic bronchitis, in particular, seems to run in families.
Cardiovascular
There are cardiovascular consequences of severe bronchitis.
Cardiovascular disease does not cause bronchitis to develop.
Chronic bronchitis is very strongly related to lifestyle factors.
This causes the airways to become inflamed and swollen.
In response, cells in the lining of the bronchi producemucusto attempt to protect the airways.
Also known as sputum, phlegm is the mucus that accumulates in the airways.
A viral or, less often, bacterial infection causes acute bronchitis.
Chronic bronchitis results from repeated exposure to an irritant such ascigarette smoke.
Wheezinga whistling or rattling sound while breathingis due to the restriction of air flow in the respiratory tract.
Wheezing most often triggers when someone exhales.
Chronic bronchitis is most common among people who smokeespecially female smokers.
In people who have health conditions that make them especially vulnerable to infection, bacteria may be the cause.
Bacteria causes includeMycoplasma pneumoniae,Bordetella pertussis,andChlamydia pneumoniae.
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