Chronic Bronchitis

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Chronic Bronchitis

• By Kyle T. Pankau
• November 3, 2006

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What is Chronic Bronchitis

• Chronic Bronchitis is an inflammation of the
  airways, called bronchial tubes, in the lungs.
• When these airways are irritated thick mucus
  forms in them.
• This mucus clogs the airways, making it very
  difficult for the lungs to receive air.
• Coughing dislodges the sputum (mucus), which does
  not occur with emphysema or asthma.

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Progression

• The inflammation of CB eventually causes scarring
  of the bronchial tube lining.
• Excessive amounts of mucus will be constantly
  produced if the tubes have been irritated for a
  long period of time.
• Air flow becomes vulnerable because the tubes
  lining become very thick and causes an irritating
  cough to develop.
• This is when the lungs begin to scar.
• The bronchial tubes then become an ideal place
  for bacterial infections to breed. This impedes
  airflow.

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Acute vs. Chronic

• A virus usually causes acute bronchitis, and it
  only lasts as long as the body takes to fight it
  off.
• The main difference is that with acute
  bronchitis, your bodys immune system will
  eventually fight it off along with rest.
• Chronic Bronchitis is more permanent and can not
  be cured with just medicine and rest.

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Statistics of Chronic Bronchitis

• COPD is the 4th leading cause of death in America
  with Chronic Bronchitis is one of the leading
  manifestations of COPD.
• Prevalence- 12.1 million Americans
• Prevalence rate- 1in 22 or 4.45
• Out of the 11.4 million with COPD, 9.4 million
  have chronic bronchitis
• 9.1 million of non-institutionalized adults had
  chronic bronchitis in the U.S. in 2002.
• 8,643,000 physician visits a year for chronic
  bronchitis

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Stats Continued

• Women are 2 times more likely to be diagnosed
  with Chronic Bronchitis than men.
• Women are more likely to be chain smokers
• Men are less likely to go see a doctor
• Out of the 8.6 million Americans estimated for
  chronic bronchitis, 5.8 million are females, 2.8
  million are males.
• All though Chronic Bronchitis can affect all
  ages, it is higher in those over the age of 45.

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What causes bronchitis?

• Smoking
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• Second hand smoke
• Lung Cancer
• Heart Disease
• Underlying medical conditions

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What are the symptoms of chronic bronchitis?

• Persistent cough
• Productive cough
• Cough with sputum
• Persistent winter cough that disappears in the
  summer.
• Excessive airway mucus secretion.
• Breathlessness at rest and exertion
• Cyanosis
• Mild fever
• Mild chest pain
• Clubbed fingers
• Episodes of acute bronchitis

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Chronic Bronchitis Complications

• Acute bronchitis
• Pneumonia
• Cor pulmonale
• Emphysema
• Respiratory failure
• Cardiac arrhythmia

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Diagnosis

• If a cough producing mucus last for more than 3
  months of a the year for two consecutive years.
• Also if there is no underlying disease to explain
  the reason for the mucus cough.

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Test performed to diagnose chronic bronchitis

• Pulmonary Function Test
• Blood tests
• Chest radiograph
• Electrocardiogram
• Sputum cultures

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What treatments are there for chronic bronchitis?

• If smoking, quit.
• Inhalers
• Healthy diet
• Avoid dust
• Anti-inflammatory
• Anti-cholinergic agents
• Medications
• Bronchodilators
• Antibiotics
• Physiotherapy
• Oxygen

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Exercise Response Article

• Systemic arterial pressure was lower during the
  second exercise session. This was associated with
  lung function and blood gasses at rest and during
  exercise.
• Patients with PaO2 lower than 65 mm Hg showed a
  larger increase in systemic arterial pressure
  during the first exercise session and a smaller
  increase in the second session than others.
• Cardiac output was similar in the first and
  second exercise sessions, as well as pulmonary
  vascular resistance.
• The larger increase could be caused by a
  vasoconstrictor effect of hypoxemia of the
  functional residue capacity increase.

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Exercise

• Regular exercise can help prevent the onset of
  chronic bronchitis.
• Focus on aerobic activity, such as swimming and
  running. This will help increase lung capacity
  and strengthen the cardiovascular system.
• Should be low to moderate intensity depending on
  the severity of the disorder.
• Short to long durations of exercise may vary
  depending on the severity.

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Exercise Continued

• Upper body exercises that are recommended for
  pulmonary patients are
• Rowing ergometer
• Dumbbells
• Machines
• Elastic bands
• The frequency and duration should be 3 to 5 days
  a week for about 30 minutes.

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Safe Places to Workout

• Try not to work out in dusty or allergy irritant
  areas
• When running stay away from grass fields and high
  car traffic areas.
• The most appropriate place to work out is
  indoors.
• While indoors stay away from chemical areas and
  places with irritant odors.

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Other Precautions to Consider

• Due to the obstructed air flow, any form of
  exertion may cause breathlessness.
• Normal physical activity can cause wheezing and
  shortness of breath.
• Patients cannot usually reach the same peak heart
  rate as those healthy individuals of the same
  age.
• Also, in some patients, oxygen is required if
  severity of the symptoms are high enough.

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• Questions?

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Sources

• http//wrongdiagnosis.com/c/chronic_bronchitis/sta
  ts.htm
• http//www.aafp.org/afp/980515ap/heath.html
• http//health.allrefer.com/health/cor-pulmonale-in
  fo.html
• http//familydoctor.org/280.xml3
• http//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd
  RetrievedbPubMedlist_uids1862256doptAbstract
  
• http//www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1189/is
  _2_272/ai_59584857