Bronchitis is a type of inflammation around the lining of the bronchial tubes. These are the tubes responsible for carrying oxygen to and from the lungs. People suffering from bronchitis often faces problems like wheezing, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Persistent cough with discoloured mucus is also the problem faced by people suffering from bronchitis.
Chronic bronchitis is the division of COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which is declared a lung disease by the doctors. COPD includes all those diseases that make breathing worse over time. Most people dealing with COPD, also suffer from both chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Its severity depends on person to person.
Bronchitis is a type of inflammation around the lining of the bronchial tubes. These are the tubes responsible for carrying oxygen to and from the lungs. People suffering from bronchitis often faces problems like wheezing, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Persistent cough with discoloured mucus is also the problem faced by people suffering from bronchitis.
Causes of Bronchitis
From cigarette smoking to the chemical fumes and toxic gases, many factors may damage your respiratory system and cause chronic bronchitis. Your bronchial tube might get swelled with the smoking of cigarette or constantly breathing in the polluted environment.
90 per cent of the people who have chronic bronchitis, found that they have a cigarette smoking history. In medical terms, cigarette smoking temporarily paralyzes the cilia and frequent smoking for a long time can severely damage cilia, which may result in chronic bronchitis.
Passive smoking can also be responsible for developing chronic bronchitis.
Symptoms of Chronic Bronchitis?
When your bronchial tubes get irritated and swelled with an extended time of smoking and inhaling pollutants, you may start producing symptoms like:
- Heavy cough with mucus
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Sinus Congestion
- Chest Discomfort
- Bad breath
Later stages of chronic bronchitis may develop severe symptoms like bluish lips and skin colour due to lack of oxygen in the bloodstream. The constant decreased level of oxygen in your blood may result in swelling legs and ankles.
The Chronic Bronchitis may worsen by the following factors:
- Cardiovascular problems
- Some other infections in our body
- Respiratory tract infections
- Exposure to the environmental pollutants
When should you see a doctor?
If you are facing mild cough and mucus for several days while smoking cigarettes, can be the sign of bronchitis. Don’t hesitate to consult your bronchitis problem with a physician or pulmonologist if you are facing the above symptoms for a longer time.
The timely care may help you save your lungs for further damage like chronic bronchitis, lung problems, and heart failure.
What is Pulmonology?
Pulmonology is a medical speciality that is dedicated to treating respiratory problems. A pulmonologist takes care of the major respiratory problems like asthma, emphysema, asthma, tumour, lung cancer, and respiratory failure.
A patient with consistent cough, difficulty breathing or constant pain can report to a pulmonologist.
You must call your doctor when you are experiencing the following things:
- Cough lasts longer, accompanied by fever
- Cough producing discoloured mucus or blood in it
- Wheezing and shortness of breathe while coughing
- Sleeping disturbance
Signature hospital welcomes you to a modern Pulmonology care for all pulmonary diseases and lungs disorders. Availability of experienced and expert doctors understand and treat the cases carefully at the Signature hospital in Gurgaon.
Today, respiratory problems are increasing day by day. Our environment has been poisonous due to air pollution generated by millions of vehicles and factories. Our lungs are now more vulnerable to respiratory diseases in comparison to situations a decade before.
The department of respiratory medicine is responsible for diagnosing and treating conditions that affect our breathing system, which includes the nose, throat (pharynx), larynx, windpipe (trachea), the lungs and the diaphragm. It is a hospital-based specialty where doctors treat respiratory problems of the people.
We must go to see a doctor after every 6 months for a general health check-up. It keeps us updated about our general health and also helps us to know in advance if there is any problem that is going to be a bigger one.
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