If your cough does not stop for three months, every year, for two consecutive years, then most likely you have become a victim of chronic bronchitis. This unpleasant disease can progress over time, thereby inflaming the bronchi, but, fortunately, not affecting the lungs.
The etiology of chronic bronchitis is simple, it all starts with a common cold, where sharp fluctuations in the external temperature of the body or cooling become a hallmark. It is also worth considering that a tuberculosis infection has an important role in the manifestation of chronic bronchitis, since impaired blood circulation in the lungs often leads to changes in oxidative processes. Inflammation of the accessory cavities can also cause chronic bronchitis in children.
Faced with such a disease for the first time, the patient is likely to confuse chronic bronchitis, the symptoms of which are not immediately clear, with the usual cough that manifests itself in a cold, damp period of time in most people with weak immunity. But if the cough does not stop, and at the same time it is only accompanied by mild anemia, frequent fatigue and a sharp decrease in physical development, then this should be the first signal for consultation with a doctor.
In chronic bronchitis, fluoroscopy will show a compaction of the roots of the lungs with a possible increase in bronchial lymph nodes. Significant local changes in the lung area are generally difficult to notice, only the percussion sound acquires a tympanic hue with intermittent dry rales. The shape of the chest varies, mainly acquiring a cylindrical and evenly narrowed.
Other signs of chronic bronchitis make it impossible to clearly diagnose. However, increased cough, shortness of breath during physical exertion, increased sputum, malaise, fatigue, and even sweat at night should lead to the idea that you may have contracted a disease as dangerous as chronic bronchitis, the symptoms of which are not clear at first, but in the future can lead to the formation of chronic pneumonia.
If the doctor revealed chronic bronchitis, the symptoms of which did not have time to expand to extremely dangerous, then treatment should primarily be aimed at eliminating the inflammatory process and restoring immunity. Antibiotics and sulfonamides will be most suitable in the fight against infection. Antibacterial therapy is prescribed taking into account the sensitivity of the bronchial secretion. Basically, inhalations of phytoncides of garlic and onions are prescribed, which are enough to carry out twice a day for 12-14 days. One course should consist of at least 20 inhalations, preferably with the providence of conservative sanitation of foci of nasopharyngeal infection.
At the second stage of treatment, bronchial obstruction is restored, which is a key link in the treatment of bronchitis. It is prescribed preparations for expectorant, mucolytic and bronchospasmolytic action. These are mainly medicines containing potassium iodide and infusions of marshmallow root, plantain, mucolytic, thermopsis and coltsfoot leaves, which contain proteolytic enzymes that reduce the viscosity of sputum and restore the immune system.
When the cough begins to weaken gradually, chronic bronchitis, the symptoms of which appear less and less every day, can be treated using vitamin therapy, in which B vitamins are first prescribed, as well as 1 g per day of ascorbic and nicotinic acid.
It is recommended, however, not to begin self-medication, but immediately turn to specialists who will fully examine the patient and prescribe medications individually, based on an anamnesis.