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Signs and Symptoms of Bronchitis
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Posted On :
Apr-06-2010
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Article Word Count :
510
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Bronchitis is a medical condition characterized by disorders in the lungs caused due to an inflammation of the bronchial tubes. Bronchial tubes are the airways that connect the windpipe, also known as the trachea, to the lungs.
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Bronchitis is a medical condition characterized by disorders in the lungs caused due to an inflammation of the bronchial tubes. Bronchial tubes are the airways that connect the windpipe, also known as the trachea, to the lungs. Under normal conditions these linings produce mucus that provides protection to the respiratory organs and tissues that are involved in the breathing process. In case of bronchitis the passage of air through the bronchial tubes is disturbed thus causing breathing difficulties. Moreover, the irritability in the tissues of the lungs increases and the mucus is excessively produced. The most common sign of bronchitis is cough.
The primary nasal passage which constitutes of our nostrils has hair that filters the air that enters the lungs. Prior to entry into the lungs it also goes through another filtration process undertaken by the cilia lining on the mucus membrane surface. These foreign disease causing entities may include dust particles or pollen as well as other particles suspended in the air. However, sometimes germs get in through these passages thus causing this respiratory tract illness. There are two types of bronchitis namely acute and chronic. While acute bronchitis is caused due to bacteria or virus that tend to exhibit signs of bronchitis for a shorter period of time, chronic bronchitis on the other hand shows symptoms of bronchitis every now and then in the patient and has long term effects on health. Smoking is a major cause for chronic bronchitis and it makes the patient susceptible to other infection causing microbes that produce excess mucus in the lungs which may lead to various levels of the disease from mild to severe.
Acute bronchitis caused by a microbial infection usually is a secondary illness to an already existing cold or flu. The main symptom of acute bronchitis is cough. Normally the cough may produce clear mucus but if the mucus is yellow or cream colored it is an indication of a bacterial infection. Even after the infection is cleared the patient has dry cough for a couple of days. Other signs of bronchitis of the acute kind are wheezing, fever and chest congestion followed by chest pain. Shortness of breath is also known to happen when you tend to do heavy physical activities with acute bronchitis. You may also experience fatigue and experience chills. Headache is also a common symptom of bronchitis.
Chronic bronchitis, although, is mainly caused by smoking it may also be a result of frequent occurrence of acute bronchitis. Signs of bronchitis of the chronic kind include all the symptoms of acute bronchitis except for fever and chills. Chronic bronchitis is characterized by a chronic productive cough and it becomes a part of the day-to-day life. Patients with this disorder are less immune to diseases and experience a lot of discomfort from being easily susceptible to colds and other common respiratory illnesses. Their recovery time is often longer than patients suffering from acute bronchitis. In severe cases, the airways become so narrowed and clogged that it leads to asthma.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Signs and Symptoms of Bronchitis_15601.aspx
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Author Resource :
The author of this article has great knowledge about the signs of bronchitis. The authors articles on symptoms of bronchitis are such great refrences.
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Keywords :
signs of bronchitis, symptoms of bronchitis,
Category :
Health and Fitness
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Health and Fitness
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