Also commonly known as bronchitis, bronchial infection is actually an infection of the mucous membranes that line the inner walls of the bronchi (the pipe-like structures that transport air to the lungs from the trachea). Bronchial infection can be acute as well as chronic. Acute bronchitis symptoms include severe coughing which may or may not be accompanied by increased production of sputum. Acute bronchitis usually accompanies common cold or influenza and experiencing cough and mild congestion is common in case of these viral infection. Chronic bronchial infection is characterized by a chronic case of productive cough which may last for as long as three months each year for a minimum of two years. Let's take a closer look at both types of bronchial infection.
Acute Bronchitis
As mentioned above, acute bronchitis is a short term bronchial infection and usually occurs as an accompaniment of any other upper respiratory viral infections such as cold and flu. The major cause of acute bronchitis is viruses though a mere 10% of the cases may be brought on by bacteria as well. The virus that causes acute bronchial infection infect the epithelium, leading to inflammation of the mucous membrane and increasing the production of mucus. Cough, the most prominent among all acute bronchial infection symptoms, is the body's attempt to expel the additional mucus from the lungs to avoid blockage of the air passage.
Besides cough and excess sputum, other acute bronchitis symptoms include nasal congestion and runny nose, sore throat, malaise, slight fever and a certain degree of inflammation of the pleura that surrounds the lungs. Antibiotics for bronchial infection usually have no effect as most of the time, it is viral bronchitis. In fact, antibiotics can have an adverse effect as administration of antibiotic medication in case of non bacterial bronchitis encourages the growth and propagation of bacteria which are antibiotic resistant.
Chronic Bronchitis
As mentioned above, chronic bronchial infection is a long term ailment of the respiratory tract and is characterized by development of productive cough which occurs for at least three months in tow each year for at least a couple of years. This condition is generally brought on by frequent injuries to the bronchial epithelium. This leads to chronic swelling of the mucous membrane and causes goblet cells to increase their mucin production which leads to increased production of mucus when the mucin dissolves in water. Usually, such injury to the bronchial epithelium is caused by smoking or consuming tobacco.
Chronic bronchitis effects manifest as considerable obstruction of the airway and this leads to the common symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath and having difficulty breathing. The sputum produced in chronic bronchitis is thicker with a greenish yellow hue and may have streaks of blood in it.
Bronchial Infection Treatment
The treatment for both types of bronchial infections include symptomatic treatment methods that aim at providing symptomatic relief to the patient. In case of acute bronchitis, expectorants are given to help expel the excess mucus and decongestant medications are administered to relieve nasal and bronchial congestion. Cough suppressants may be given to ease coughing and fever and sore throat may be treated by giving non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs, also known as NSAIDs. Most of the time, acute bronchitis conditions are of a self-limiting nature and get resolved by themselves even in the absence of medical intervention.
In case of chronic bronchitis, the treatment may include corticosteroid inhalers for bronchitis to arrest inflammation of the epithelium. Bronchodilators are used to arrest bronchospasms in order to provide relief from wheezing and shortness of breath. Due to difficulty in breathing, the blood oxygen may go down considerably and this condition can be corrected by providing external oxygen supplements. Bronchitis natural remedies, such as turmeric, chicken soup, eucalyptus oil, ginger, honey and lemon, can also be considered as additional options for treatment for chronic bronchitis as they provide some much needed relief to the already strained bronchi.
That, I guess, should give you an aerial view of the entire scope - particulars, causes, symptoms and treatment of bronchial infection. However, I would like to extend a word of warning with regards to oxygen supplementation for treating chronic bronchitis - long term oxygen supplementation as a chronic bronchitis treatment measure may reduce respiratory drive, resulting in the increase of carbon dioxide levels in the blood. Prevention is always better than cure and the best way to prevent chronic bronchial infection is to avoid tobacco - in whichever form - at all costs!
Acute Bronchitis
As mentioned above, acute bronchitis is a short term bronchial infection and usually occurs as an accompaniment of any other upper respiratory viral infections such as cold and flu. The major cause of acute bronchitis is viruses though a mere 10% of the cases may be brought on by bacteria as well. The virus that causes acute bronchial infection infect the epithelium, leading to inflammation of the mucous membrane and increasing the production of mucus. Cough, the most prominent among all acute bronchial infection symptoms, is the body's attempt to expel the additional mucus from the lungs to avoid blockage of the air passage.
Besides cough and excess sputum, other acute bronchitis symptoms include nasal congestion and runny nose, sore throat, malaise, slight fever and a certain degree of inflammation of the pleura that surrounds the lungs. Antibiotics for bronchial infection usually have no effect as most of the time, it is viral bronchitis. In fact, antibiotics can have an adverse effect as administration of antibiotic medication in case of non bacterial bronchitis encourages the growth and propagation of bacteria which are antibiotic resistant.
Chronic Bronchitis
As mentioned above, chronic bronchial infection is a long term ailment of the respiratory tract and is characterized by development of productive cough which occurs for at least three months in tow each year for at least a couple of years. This condition is generally brought on by frequent injuries to the bronchial epithelium. This leads to chronic swelling of the mucous membrane and causes goblet cells to increase their mucin production which leads to increased production of mucus when the mucin dissolves in water. Usually, such injury to the bronchial epithelium is caused by smoking or consuming tobacco.
Chronic bronchitis effects manifest as considerable obstruction of the airway and this leads to the common symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath and having difficulty breathing. The sputum produced in chronic bronchitis is thicker with a greenish yellow hue and may have streaks of blood in it.
Bronchial Infection Treatment
The treatment for both types of bronchial infections include symptomatic treatment methods that aim at providing symptomatic relief to the patient. In case of acute bronchitis, expectorants are given to help expel the excess mucus and decongestant medications are administered to relieve nasal and bronchial congestion. Cough suppressants may be given to ease coughing and fever and sore throat may be treated by giving non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs, also known as NSAIDs. Most of the time, acute bronchitis conditions are of a self-limiting nature and get resolved by themselves even in the absence of medical intervention.
In case of chronic bronchitis, the treatment may include corticosteroid inhalers for bronchitis to arrest inflammation of the epithelium. Bronchodilators are used to arrest bronchospasms in order to provide relief from wheezing and shortness of breath. Due to difficulty in breathing, the blood oxygen may go down considerably and this condition can be corrected by providing external oxygen supplements. Bronchitis natural remedies, such as turmeric, chicken soup, eucalyptus oil, ginger, honey and lemon, can also be considered as additional options for treatment for chronic bronchitis as they provide some much needed relief to the already strained bronchi.
That, I guess, should give you an aerial view of the entire scope - particulars, causes, symptoms and treatment of bronchial infection. However, I would like to extend a word of warning with regards to oxygen supplementation for treating chronic bronchitis - long term oxygen supplementation as a chronic bronchitis treatment measure may reduce respiratory drive, resulting in the increase of carbon dioxide levels in the blood. Prevention is always better than cure and the best way to prevent chronic bronchial infection is to avoid tobacco - in whichever form - at all costs!
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