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Chest Bronchitis
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[size=4][b]Chest Bronchitis - is Asthma Like Bronchitis?[/b][/size][hr]Diagnosing asthma is notoriously difficult, particularly in children. Asthma is sometimes missed simply because its symptoms are like those of bronchitis. Bronchitis is an inflammation of the air passages, or bronchi, and is marked by one of asthma's main symptoms that is wheezy symptoms.

[list][*]The most common triggers of asthma in childhood are exercise and infections, asthma sparked off by allergies is relatively rare.[*]Most very young children have attacks of asthma brought on by a cold or virus.[*]Typical symptoms are wheezing or coughing or both, particularly at night, after colds and after exercise.[*]This can be frightening, even if in the majority of cases childhood asthma is mild and can be easily controlled.[/list]

Nevertheless, many children do have sudden attacks that are extremely distressing. If your child has allergic asthma, then your family may be atopic, that is, prone to allergies. You may not have asthma, but you may have hay fever or eczema. If you are allergy free then you will probably find that your mother or father, your partner's parents or either set of grandparents have allergies.

Quote:[list][*]Acute bronchitis, the inflammation is caused by an infection, usually a virus, chronic bronchitis is caused by pollution, often tobacco smoke.[*]People with bronchitis may wheeze and cough, but they do not have asthma.[*]Babies are prone to wheeziness and may sometimes be diagnosed as having asthma when in fact it is a passing chest infection.[*]Croup, caused by virus, may seem similar to asthma.[*]Your baby may wheeze and cough and although it usually clears up after a week, it does recur.[*]As you progress deeper and deeper into this composition on Bronchitis Wheeze, you are sure to unearth more information on Bronchitis Wheeze.[*]The information becomes more interesting as the deeper you venture into the composition.[/list]

What about asthma in childhood? More and more children seem to be affected by asthma. There is an explosion in the number of cases of childhood asthma, in some countries the number of children with asthma has doubled in a generation. This means increased numbers of hospital admissions, lost school days and millions of children on medication. In Western countries an average of one in seven school children has asthma and almost a third of under fives have had one attack of wheezing.

COPD is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. COPD refers to a group of diseases that include chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthmatic bronchitis. COPD is a lung disease, mainly caused by smoking. COPD progresses gradually and worsens over time. The rate of progression and severity of symptoms may differ from one individual to another. COPD cannot be cured, though it can be controlled. A common characteristic of these diseases is the difficulty to breathe out of the lungs. Cystic fibrosis, bronchiectesis and genetic forms of emphysema may also cause COPD. Progression of the disease is associated with degradation of elastin in the walls of the alveoli, resulting in the functional destruction of the organs concerned.

Symptoms range from the hardly noticeable to the unbearable. Early symptoms of COPD include daily morning coughs with clear sputum. During a cold or other respiratory infection, the cough may become more noticeable, and the sputum turns yellow or greenish. After a cold or respiratory infection, wheezing may occur. COPD is referred to as the silent disease because symptoms generally progress slowly and almost unnoticeably. At first shortness of breath occurs during exercise. Patients with COPD may experience difficulty in breathing, chronic cough, weight loss and periods of symptoms so severe, they require hospitalization. We have omitted irrelevant information from this composition on Asthmatic Bronchitis as we though that unnecessary information may make the reader bored of reading the composition.

There is a direct causal relationship between COPD and smoking, clearly indicated in COPD progression. In many cases, after 10 years of smoking, a person develops a chronic cough with the production of a small amount of sputum. At the age of 40, there is only shortness of breath during exertion. But by the age of 50, the shortness of breath becomes more common. This is followed by a morning cough related to smoking. These symptoms may not seem serious at first, but they gradually progress to the point where activities of daily living, such as walking, dressing and even eating, cause extreme shortness of breath.

The United States, 90% of COPD occurs due to smoking. Only about 15% of chronic smokers will go on to develop clinically significant COPD. Once diagnosed with COPD, it is essential to give up smoking. Although cessation of smoking can help to slow the progression of the disease, currently, there is no effective treatment for COPD. Needless to say, COPD is one of the greatest health problems facing America and the world today.

[size=large][b]What Does COPD Mean?[/b][/size][hr]COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. It encompasses two types of disease processes namely chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Quite often, people who suffer from COPD show a combination of features of both disease processes. In lay person's term, COPD means persistent lung disease with features of airway narrowing. To be more specific, bronchitis means inflammation of the bronchi or the larger airways of the lungs whereas emphysema means destruction to the smaller airways and alveoli or airsacs of the lungs. Thus COPD is commonly used to describe chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both.

[size=large][b]What are the Symptoms of COPD?[/b][/size][hr]The two main symptoms are cough and breathlessness. COPD sufferers commonly complain about breathlessness and cough that develop gradually over a long period of time. The cough that COPD sufferer gets are usually productive which means they commonly cough up phlegm. The cough usually comes and goes initially but tends to become persistent as time passes. Breathlessness is usually intermittent and only occurs with exertion in the beginning, however if you continue to smoke, the breathlessness persists even when you are at rest, this can be quite distressing! Other symptoms are chronic sputum production, where you constantly cough up phlegm all day and recurrent chest infection. People with COPD are more prone to chest infection for obvious reasons, as the lining in the lung looses its normal defense mechanism against intruding bugs. Suppressing our knowledge on Bronchitis Emphysema is not our intention here. In fact, we mean to let everyone know more about Bronchitis Emphysema after reading this! Big Grin.

[size=large][b]COPD a Common Condition?[/b][/size][hr]It is one of the commonest conditions that require hospital admission during period of flare-ups. According to one epidemiology study in the US, approximately eight million people have chronic bronchitis whereas 2 million people have emphysema. As we can see, chronic bronchitis is more common than emphysema. This is a dependable source of information on Chronic Bronchitis Emphysema. All that has to be done to verify its authenticity is to read it!

COPD sounds like asthma, are they any different? Yes. Both COPD and asthma cause similar symptoms, however, they are different in certain ways. COPD causes permanent damage to the airways. The obstruction is 'fixed', hence it is irreversible in general terms. However, airway narrowing in asthma is intermittent and reverses quite easily with medication. Having said that, both COPD and asthma is common, people who suffer COPD can have an asthmatic component and vice versa. We have avoided adding flimsy points on Bronchitis, as we find that the addition of such points have no effect on Bronchitis.

[size=large][b]How Does Smoking Cause COPD?[/b][/size][hr]Smoking inadvertently damages the lining of the airways. As with any other part of the body in response to injury, inflammation occurs. Inflammation stimulates the damaged lining to secrete mucus in an abnormal amount and also causes the airway to constrict (narrow).

[size=large][b]What are the Causes of COPD?[/b][/size][hr]Smoking. Smoking is the number 1 cause of COPD. More than 90 percent of COPDs are caused by smoking, cigarette or otherwise. About 30 percent of long term smokers will eventually show symptoms of COPD of varying degrees. Other causes include air pollution and inherited enzyme deficiency namely alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. We have included some fresh and interesting information on Bronchitis. In this way, you are updated on the developments of Bronchitis.

[size=large][b]What are the Treatments of COPD?[/b][/size][hr]First of all. Stop smoking. This cannot be stressed enough. Smoking cessation is the first thing you have to do if you want to get better. As the underlying mechanism of COPD is irreversible, medications are used with an aim to slow down it's progress. Drugs that are commonly used to treat COPD include short-acting bronchodilator inhalers (i.e. salbutamol), long-acting bronchodilator inhalers (i.e. tiotropium), steroid inhalers and tablets are all available drugs for treatment of COPD. Again, no treatment is more important that stop smoking. Lung transplant is the last option and should be reserved for people with severe COPD. Even the beginner will get to learn more about Bronchitis Emphysema after reading this article. It is written in easy language so that everyone will be able to understand it.

Chronic bronchitis is a pain in the side of nearly 8 million people in America alone. 'Chronic bronchitis is the inflammation or swelling of breathing passageways and an over-production of mucus that result in expectoration of phlegm. 'There are several different steps you can take to prevent the contraction of chronic bronchitis as well as acute bronchitis.'It is important that you remain in good health, exercise often and eat healthy. 'The best way to stay disease-free is to remain as healthy as possible and help your body fight infections, diseases and viruses.

[size=large][b]Wear a Mask Around Irritants[/b][/size][hr]Wearing a mask around irritants such as dust is a great way to reduce added stress on your lungs. 'It is a great idea to wear a mask whenever practical, and you should wear a mask whenever you are dealing with dangerous chemicals, or any time you will be working in an area where large amounts of dust may be in the air. 'Avoiding air pollution and irritants reduces your risk for contracting both acute and chronic bronchitis.

[size=large][b]Avoid Bacteria-Filled Situations[/b][/size][hr]It is best to avoid public bathrooms altogether, but if it is necessary to use one, make sure to wash your hands before you leave. 'Also be sure to use a hand towel when exiting to avoid touching the door handle. 'Germs and bacteria thrive on door knobs and handles and are easily transferred to your hands. Writing this composition on Bronchitis Acute was a significant contribution of ours in the world of literature. Make this contribution worthwhile by using it. Wink

Stop Smoking, and Avoid Secondhand Smoke Smoking is the number one cause of chronic and acute bronchitis (not to mention lung cancer). 'If you currently smoke, your best bet is to consult your physician for different methods of breaking the habit. 'There are numerous over the counter remedies including gum, lozenges and patches that may aid you in quitting smoking. 'If none of these options have helped you quit, there are several prescription drugs that help with this. 'Avoid secondhand smoke as well. 'If you live with individuals who smoke, ask them to step outside for their cigarettes if they could. Maintaining the value of Bronchitis Prevention was the main reason for writing this article. Only in this way will the future know more about Bronchitis Prevention.

Wash and Sanitize Your Hands Often Diseases and bacteria most commonly enter your body through your mouth via your hands. 'Bacteria is most likely to enter your body through finger foods, but if you bite your nails, or often have your hands come into contact with your mouth you may be at a higher risk. 'Make sure to wash your hands after any bathroom visits, before meals, and after touching door handles. 'Hand sanitizer is available at nearly any grocery store, and is very effective at killing germs and bacteria. 'Sanitizers are also very convenient.

Consult your Doctor About Pneumonia Shots Although a pneumonia shot should be considered anyway, especially if you are over 65, it is a great step towards preventing chronic bronchitis as well. 'Certain pneumonia shots are also recommended for children under the age of 2, and from children from 2 to 5 who are at a higher risk for pneumonia. 'Side effects of the shot are generally minor and include a mild soreness or swelling at the injection site.
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