Bronchitis
What is Bronchitis?
There are airways (Bronchi) in the lungs which when
get inflamed then it is known as Bronchitis.
It is a contagious infection which spreads through air
or by direct exposure to the infected person (cough and sputum).
Common symptoms of bronchitis are cough with or
without phlegm production, wheezing, chest tightness, and difficulty in
breathing.
Prevalence: It
affects children more as compare to adults.
About 7% of children and 6% of adult suffer all over.
What are the types of Bronchitis?
There are mainly 2 types of Bronchitis. Acute Bronchitis and chronic Bronchitis.
Acute Bronchitis- In acute Bronchitis, person suffers
with the symptoms like cough, wheezing, difficulty in breathing, and
breathlessness for a short period of time that is 15-21 days (2-3 weeks)
maximum.
Chronic Bronchitis- In chronic Bronchitis, person
suffers with the symptoms for more than 3 months in a year which continues next
year (for 3 or more number of months in a year).
What are the causes of Bronchitis?
It is usually a mixed disease (viral as well as
bacterial); mainly 90% it is viral.
It has other triggering factors which also cause
bronchitis.
Other triggering factors are:
1. Cigarette
smoking.
2. Air
pollution (harmful gases, fumes in the environment)
3. Exposure
to toxic gases or fumes outside or in the work area (chemical factory, textile
factories, coal mining etc).
4. Dust,
smoke.
5. Winter
season or sudden change of weather can also contribute in the development of
bronchitis.
6. Low
immunity level- person having low Immunity can catch hold the disease easily
and frequently.
What are the symptoms of
Bronchitis
Acute and Chronic Bronchitis have almost same
symptoms like
1. Cough.
2. Wheezing.
3. Difficulty in breathing.
4. Chest tightness.
5. Mild fever can be associated with all the
above symptoms.
Chronic
Bronchitis has productive cough and the phlegm produced can be from white
colour to dark colour (yellow, green, and reddish brown) according to the
severity of the infection. There can be
a blood tint in the phlegm.
Prevention of Bronchitis
-Few
precautionary methods can be applied like avoiding the triggering factors (dust,
harmful fumes, and chemical exposure).
One can use surgical mask to avoid coming in direct contact with the
triggering factors.
-Maintaining
personal hygiene like regular washing of hands and using hand sanitizer
regularly.
-Quitting
or cutting down cigarette smoking.
-Avoid
going to crowded places where the chance of infection is more.
Diagnoses
of Bronchitis
-It
is done clinically through the history of the patient (signs and symptoms).
-Examination
of the sputum can diagnose whether it is viral or bacterial infection (but this
does not make any difference in the disease condition).
- Chest X-ray can be done to rule out other lung diseases like COPD, asthma, pneumonia, tuberculosis, Ca lungs etc
Treatment of Bronchitis
-Here
the treatment is usually based on the symptoms (symptomatic treatment) that is to
reduce the cough, wheezing, and chest tightness and difficulty in breathing.
-Cough
syrups are used for cough relief.
-Corticosteroids
are used mostly to relieve the symptoms.
-Inhalers
and bronchodilators are used in case of chest tightness and difficulty in
breathing.
Homeopathic
treatment for Bronchitis
Homeopathic treatment is given according to
the overall symptoms of
the
patient right from head to toe and the symptoms related to his
behaviour,
nature, emotional levels. This makes a
constitutional
treatment
according to the Homeopathic principles.
Here
Homeopathic medicines increase the immunity level and thus decrease the chance
of frequent infection got from the environment and the affected person.
It takes care of the other symptoms like cough,
wheezing, difficulty breathing and chest tightness. And helps to fight with the
disease.
According to the chronicity and severity of the
disease Homeopathic course of treatment can be decided.
