Many people diagnosed with chronic bronchitis refer to this disease negligently, thinking that coughing, rough voice, dryness in the throat and sputum - the most common symptoms of chronic bronchitis - are inoffensive. Unfortunately, this is not so!
The difference between acute and chronic bronchitis
Diseases of the respiratory system have one very bad property - they negatively affect the condition of the bronchi, lungs and pulmonary alveoli, permanently depriving them of their former, healthy elasticity. That's why the acute form of bronchitis often develops into a chronic one. What is the difference and how to distinguish the symptoms of chronic bronchitis? The first thing that provokes the development of a chronic form is bacteria (not viruses or hypothermia, as in acute bronchitis). Symptoms are also caused by irritation of the lungs and bronchi, for example, smoking for several years, life in an area with an unfavorable ecological background, previously suffered diseases of the respiratory system (including those not treated). Acute bronchitis can be cured, but its chronic form is almost impossible, so it is so important not to start the disease.
Symptoms of bronchitis in children and adults
Now let's talk more specifically about the signs of chronic bronchitis, which can appear not only in adults, but also in children. Of course, this cough, at first it can be dry, but very quickly it turns into a strong cough with phlegm. A person who has begun to exacerbate chronic bronchitis, often complains of coughing in the morning, it is due to the formation of mucus in the lungs and its stagnation during sleep. Further, bronchitis increasingly affects the bronchi, there may be shortness of breath or a feeling of lack of air, and such attacks may not be associated with physical exertion or other factors. Another symptom, which is also included in the symptoms of chronic bronchitis, is a rise in body temperature. This symptom is often observed in children who are ill for the first time, or in children with severe bronchitis. In adults, as a rule, the heat is rare.
We treat bronchitis at home
Despite the severity of the disease, most people with chronic bronchitis do not go to the doctor, but try to cure him at home with improvised means. I must say that this tactic of treatment is incorrect, the treatment of chronic bronchitis with folk remedies can only be an auxiliary therapy, and the main method should be appointed by the attending physician. In severe bronchitis treatment can be performed with antibiotics. It is also important to remove mucus from the lungs, with this help to cope with expectorant drugs. This is facilitated by massage, but it should be done only in the absence of high temperature. And, of course, a patient in the period of exacerbation of chronic bronchitis should drink only warm drinks, do not overcool and consume a large amount of vitamins. Agreed joint actions of the doctor and the patient will lead to a rapid improvement in the condition, the symptoms of chronic bronchitis disappear. But in order to avoid exacerbation, it is important to continue to adhere to a healthy lifestyle.