Bronchitis causes
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Bronchitis Main page |
Overview
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchi (medium-size airways) in the lungs. Acute bronchitis is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may present as cough with sputum that last several days or weeks (10 days). Other symptoms like shortness of breath, chest discomfort, and sore throat can also be found. Chronic bronchitis is not necessarily caused by infection and is generally part of a syndrome called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); it is defined clinically as a persistent cough that produces sputum (phlegm) and mucus, for at least three months in two consecutive years. In late stages, the disease may present with blue discoloration of body (cyanosis) and difficulty in breathing (dyspnea).Bronchitis can be caused by different sources for instance, air pollutant, allergies and Infections with these agents like (Respiratory syncytial (sin-SIH-shull)virus (RSV), Adenovirus, Influenza, Parainfluenza
Causes
Acute Bronchitis
- The cause of acute bronchitis depend on several factors, for instance season of the year (winter and fall), vaccination level, age and immune status of the patient
- Viruses are considered to be the commonest cause of acute bronchitis. The common virus involved are influenza A and B, parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial virus, coronavirus, adenovirus and rhinovirus.
- Human metapneumovirus is also found to cause bronchitis.
- Some atypical bacterias are also found toact as causative factors for bronchitis namely bordetella pertusis, Chlamydia pneumonia and mycoplasma pneumonia.
The following things can make bronchitis worse:
- Air pollution
- Allergens
- Certain occupations (such as coal mining, textile manufacturing, or grain handling)
Chronic Bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis is a long-term condition. People have a cough that produces excessive mucus. To be diagnosed with chronic bronchitis, you must have a cough with mucus most days of the month for at least 3 months.
References