What is Bronchitis?

• Bronchitis is defined as persistent cough with sputum production for atleast 3 month in 2 consecutive years

There are three types of bronchitis:

1. simple chronic bronchitis: it Is a kind of bronchitis in which cough is present with no physiologic evidence of airflow obstruction.
2. chronic asthmatic bronchitis: it is kind of bronchitis in which hyper reactive airways is present with intermittent bronchospasm and wheezing
3. obstructive chronic bronchitis: it is a kind of bronchitis in which there is development of chronic airflow obstruction_ emphysema in a heavy smokers

What are the causes of Bronchitis?

• Chronic irritation by inhaled substances
• Microbial infection
• Middle age
• Cigarette smoking
• Other pollutants like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide,
• Hyper secretion of mucus in large airways- hallmark of chronic bronchitis
• Hypertrophy of the submucosal glands of trachea and bronchioles
• Marked increased in goblet cells of small airways

What is the Pathophysiology of Bronchitis?

• Hypermeia, swelling of mucus membrane
• Increased number of goblet cells
• Bronchial wall become thickened, bronchial lumen is narrowed
• Mucus may plug airwayAlveoli adjacent to bronchioles may damaged and fibrosed
• Respiratory infection
• Bronchitis

What are the clinical features of Bronchitis?

• Persistent productive cough with copious sputum
• Dyspnea on exertion
• Hypercapnia, hypoxemia, and mild cyanosis
• Cor-pulmonale with cardiac failure
• Chest pressure, headache, shortness of breath, sleeping difficulty,or sore throat
• Fatigue or malaise
• death

What are the diagnostic evaluation for Bronchitis?

• history taking: take the history of the patient like personal history, history of smoking, history of bronchitis in family member, allergy history, history of infection, any past medical and surgical history

The post Bronchitis: Types, causes, pathophysiology, clinical features and diagnostic evaluation appeared first on Online Biology Notes.