Most diseases can cause complications. Bronchitis is one of such pathologies. It develops due to any severe inflammation. It affects the mucous membrane of the bronchi. This disease can develop as an independent process, or as a complication. Bronchitis itself is not such a terrible problem. A threat is considered to be complications that occur against the background of pathology.
Forms of the disease
It should be noted that bronchitis has several forms. For colds, acute pathology is characteristic. In this case, inflammation begins with the nasopharynx. Then it affects the tonsils and then goes on to the bronchi. If properly treated, then the disease will pass in 3-4 weeks.
Most often, children suffer from acute bronchitis. If the disease recurs regularly, then often it develops into a chronic form.
Now the most common is obstructive bronchitis in adults. Symptoms and treatment of this disease are quite specific, since this form is one of the most severe.
The chronic form of the disease is constantly progressing. Because of this, problems arise with the bronchial tree. A person observes constant relapses with periods of relief. Most often, a chronic disease occurs due to smoking or persistent inflammatory processes.
Symptoms of the disease
Symptoms of bronchitis are quite painful. In addition to dry cough, sputum and mucus are noted. It can be green, white or yellow. The patient constantly feels tired. If we are talking about the obstructive form of bronchitis, then the patient may have constant shortness of breath. Also sometimes there is discomfort in the chest area. With bronchitis, the temperature may not rise, so it is quite difficult to make a diagnosis on your own. However, this rarely happens. Most often, a person still has a fever, chills and throws him into a fever.
Symptoms of bronchitis in children are similar to those described above. The only thing that can occur in a child is capricious behavior without primary symptoms, that is, at normal temperature and the absence of cough. The baby can behave passively, refuse food, sleep badly. The latter is due to the fact that the bronchi are blocked, so it is quite difficult to breathe.
Obstructive bronchitis
Obstructive bronchitis often occurs without fever. Symptoms in the initial stages of the development of this type of disease may be completely absent. With this pathology, the respiratory tract is clogged in a person. Because of this, the body begins to starve without oxygen. Accordingly, the patient's condition worsens. The most commonly described bronchitis is observed in children under 5 years of age. This is due to the fact that adults have immunity to this form of the disease, so it develops in them only if bronchitis is at a chronic stage.
Causes of the obstructive form of the disease
Symptoms and treatment of acute obstructive bronchitis are completely dependent on the causes of its development. It can cause pathogens. It's about the flu virus and so on. Sometimes this disease is caused by smoking, both active and passive. The environmental situation greatly affects the human bronchi. Therefore, if you are constantly in a room with a poor microclimate, then this disease can develop quite quickly. Also, excessive consumption of alcohol-containing drinks can contribute to its occurrence. The genetic disposition to the absence of group A immunoglobulin, the second blood group, and low birth weight can cause an obstructive form of the disease in him.
Symptoms of Obstructive Bronchitis
The symptoms of bronchitis in an adult should be considered. Without temperature, the onset of the disease occurs. Then there is a dry cough. Moreover, he appears in bouts, the patient begins shortness of breath and tachycardia, and a characteristic whistle is heard when exhaling. It should be noted that when symptoms are more noticeable, jumps in body temperature can be observed.
Chronical bronchitis
Before considering the symptoms of chronic bronchitis in adults, it should be noted that this disease is recorded only if the bronchi are inflamed for at least 3 months. At the same time, the term is rather arbitrary. Inflammation does not have to last all these months in a row.
If the patient periodically suffers from bronchitis, then they put him in a chronic form after 2 years of relapse. The causes of occurrence include the development of infection in the body, inhalation of tobacco smoke and, in general, being in a polluted atmosphere, harmful work, prolonged exposure to chemicals. In children, very often this form of bronchitis occurs due to weakened immunity.
Chronic bronchitis treatment
Symptoms of chronic bronchitis do not differ from the above. In order to completely recover from this disease and come to a stable remission, it is necessary to get rid of factors that can provoke the disease. We are talking about both internal causes and external ones.
Many scientists suggest visiting patients with chronic bronchitis special salt caves. Their microclimate improves the overall health of the patient, and also helps to cure the bronchi. However, there are few such caves in the world, so this luxury is not available to everyone. That is why special halochambers were invented. It is enough to spend several sessions in order to recover from diseases. And this is not only about bronchitis, but also many other respiratory problems.
Antibiotics for bronchitis
To get rid of the symptoms of acute bronchitis or any other its form, antibiotics are prescribed. If we are talking about a young patient, then they should be prescribed with extreme caution. Otherwise, you can harm the health of the child. Used drugs that dilute and remove sputum from the bronchi. It is important to ensure excellent ventilation of the lungs, therefore, it is necessary to take preparations such as “Ambroxol”.
Medicinal formulations should be prescribed only after passing tests. The doctor conducts an examination of the excreted sputum, then identifies the pathogen and then prescribes the necessary antibiotics. There are several types of funds:
- Cephalosparins. These are broad-spectrum antibiotics. They calmly cope with penicillin-type bacteria. Such drugs are light, often do not cause an allergic reaction.
- Microlites. These are antibiotics that disrupt the life cycle of pathogenic organisms. Due to this, a person is recovering.
- Fluoroquinolones. These are antibiotics that are used if it is necessary to begin urgent treatment, but the results have not yet been received from the laboratory. These drugs have a wide spectrum of action, so they will not harm. The only drawback is that antibiotics affect the gastrointestinal tract.
- Another type of antibiotic is aminopenicillins. Thanks to these drugs, you can quickly destroy the bacteria that cause bronchitis. The only drawback of this drug is that it often causes an allergic reaction, so you need to be careful.
Bronchitis in pregnant women: features of diagnosis and treatment
Symptoms of acute bronchitis during pregnancy: excessive sweating, runny nose, weakness, fever, as well as pain in the throat, joints and muscles. This disease occurs due to the fact that a woman's immunity is weakened. Comprehensive diagnostics are prohibited, and antibiotics should not be taken. That is why it is quite difficult to prescribe therapy. As a rule, methods of traditional medicine or conservative are used. An x-ray is prescribed only in extreme cases and, as a rule, when there is no paroxysmal cough, but the temperature rises and the condition is rather lethargic. All drugs should be selected by a specialized doctor. They should be agreed with the obstetrician-gynecologist.
A woman can be prescribed inhalations that will protect the fetus from harmful substances in the lungs. If antibiotics are to be prescribed, then “Bioparox” is selected.
Conservative medicine
In order to get rid of the symptoms of acute bronchitis in adults, treatment should be correct. In addition to antibiotics, other drugs are used - antiviral, expectorant and antitussive. The latter are necessary if a person has a strong cough, manifested by seizures. For children, as a rule, such formulations are not prescribed, since they have enough expectorant medicines. The latter are prescribed along with antibiotics. They are necessary in order to loosen sputum and restore the functionality of the bronchi. Plantain syrup is great for children. Antiviral drugs are necessary if the causative agent was a virus. Often, compositions for adults are great for children.
Pills for bronchitis should be taken carefully and only with the permission of the attending physician. With regards to children, here you need to be especially careful. Pregnant women and babies are suited by more traditional methods of treatment or folk remedies.
Traditional methods
Great ways to relieve symptoms and treat bronchitis at home are traditional methods. These procedures can speed up the healing process, as well as reduce symptoms. For example, inhalation helps a lot. They are made either with a nebulizer or with steam. The latter are committed in the old-fashioned way.
The patient needs to bend over the boiling liquid, where there is a special solution. Steam should be inhaled. If desired, a more modern method can be applied. It consists in taking a special paper funnel, which should be put on the spout of the kettle. With such procedures, it is necessary to use herbal preparations, which helps to expectorate. Juniper, sage, calendula and so on are great.
A nebulizer is a device that is filled with a special solution. Inhalations can be given to both adults and children. It is important to be as careful as possible so as not to get a burn.
Symptoms of acute bronchitis in adults can be suppressed using mustard plasters. For children, this method is not particularly effective, since they are not able to sit for a long time under the influence of this tool. Thanks to mustard plasters, it is possible to warm the chest, so sputum will move away faster. They are located on the chest and back. On the chest, mustard must be placed 7 cm below the collarbone, and on the back - between the shoulder blades and slightly lower. Do not keep them for more than 10 minutes. It is also necessary to periodically pay attention to your feelings. If a burning sensation occurs, then mustard must be removed. If you have unpleasant sensations, you can use a moisturizer.
To get rid of the symptoms of bronchitis in children, you can use special breathing exercises. It will also be effective for adults. Especially helps with obstructive form. Also, proper breathing will help get rid of sputum.
You need to do simple exercises that resemble a regular workout. In a standing position, you need to put your feet shoulder width apart. Next, the patient should clench his hands in a fist, lower down and at the same time take a sharp breath. It becomes a nose and noisy, and so several times with an interval of 5 seconds.
To cope with the symptoms of bronchitis in a smoker (shortness of breath, paroxysmal cough, sputum separation) allows a special massage with banks. You can make it not only with the help of them. There are also honey, drainage, vibration and acupressure types of massage. Only a specialist should carry them out. Thanks to it, blood circulation can be improved, so this method is quite effective. Especially suitable for babies.
If we talk about massage at home, then it can be performed for the chest. It is enough to put the patient on his back, while the knees should be bent. You need to rub the chest from the bottom up. In this case, the movements should be soft and relaxed. After a short massage, you can press on the chest. This will contribute to the removal of sputum. Doing this requires at least 5 times in one session. It should be noted that this method is in addition to conservative treatment. Only complex therapy allows you to get rid of bronchitis as much as possible.
Home treatment
It should be noted that the symptoms of bronchitis in adults can be suppressed using folk remedies. It is recommended to use infusions and decoctions, it is also allowed to cook some compounds on their own for outdoor use.
Among the most effective options should be noted infusion of elecampane root. This is a pretty good expectorant. It is necessary to pour a teaspoon of the root with boiling water and insist. To withstand the solution takes about half an hour. You need to drink the contents in one day, having previously divided into three or four doses.
The best warming agent is potato cakes. If there are no mustard plasters, then it is possible to use them. To carry out the procedure, you need to boil one potato in its jacket, then crush it in mashed potatoes, salt, preferably 3 teaspoons. Then they put it in a bag and wrap it with a towel. Then you need to attach the resulting compress to your chest and cover yourself with a blanket. Lying in this position is necessary until the potatoes have completely cooled.
The best antipyretic agent is a decoction of coltsfoot. It is necessary to dry the collection (1 tbsp.spoon) in a glass of boiling water, then stand in a water bath for 15 minutes, then leave to infuse for 45 minutes. The liquid should fill the entire glass. Drink warm before each meal.
The most good anti-inflammatory drug is the infusion of knotweed. To prepare the healing composition, you need to use one tablespoon of grass. Next, pour boiling water and place in a water bath. Insist 10 minutes. Allow the product to stand for 2-3 hours. The resulting composition should be drunk up to 4 times a day for 0.5 cups.
If we are talking about the treatment of children, then all the described means should be taken with the utmost care so that the child does not have an allergy. It is advisable to consult a doctor before taking any tinctures and decoctions. Also, children are often recommended a dosage 2 times less than for adults.
Pneumonia
If you ignore the symptoms of bronchitis (temperature, chest pain, cough and so on), then you can completely wait for the development of pneumonia. Otherwise, this disease is called pneumonia. If treatment is started on time, then the disease will not pose any danger. But if it begins to develop also against the background of bronchitis, then the health risks become significantly higher. That is why such a complication can be fatal. Often before pneumonia, bronchitis without temperature is observed. Symptoms in many patients are similar.
If pneumonia develops, then the patient subsequently begins to bother the cough. This is followed by an exacerbation, including a rise in temperature. Mucus appears in the lungs. It is necessary to be treated immediately, until the whole body is injured.
Heart failure
The symptoms of chronic bronchitis that are not noticed or eliminated in time can lead to heart failure. That is why they cannot be ignored. Such a consequence of the disease can lead to the fact that the heart begins to weaken greatly. The acid-base balance is disturbed, and there is little air in the blood. The blood stagnates, the breathing process is disturbed. As soon as the first symptoms of this complication appear, you must immediately go to the hospital.
Emphysema
Sometimes symptoms of bronchitis in adults can lead to a person developing pulmonary emphysema. As a rule, the prerequisites for such complications are bronchitis in inflammatory form. It is he who provokes this disease. In this case, the mucous membrane of the lungs acquires a blue tint. This is due to the fact that the human body feels problems with the supply of oxygen. After great physical exertion, shortness of breath may appear, which previously did not bother. If the disease is not treated, then over time emphysema will progress even without provoking conditions.
Asthma
If you ignore the symptoms of bronchitis, asthma often occurs. In this case, asthma attacks occur most often at night. Gradually, in the absence of treatment, seizures lead to the fact that a person has heart problems. Respiratory failure appears. Due to the fact that there is too much sputum in the organs, it is difficult for a person to move even at a slow pace. If asthma is not treated at this stage, then it can also cause several more concomitant diseases.
Bronchial obstruction
Another disease that develops while ignoring the symptoms of bronchitis. . - , , , . , - . . , .
Summary
As it has already become clear, bronchitis is a disease that can be successfully treated with timely detection. However, if a person neglects therapy and does not pay attention to symptoms, then the development of adverse consequences for the body is not excluded. This is where the diseases mentioned in this material pose their danger. All possible therapies are described above. The main thing is to consult a doctor in time so that he can prescribe treatment. Pregnant women and children - the most vulnerable in terms of immunity categories of the population - should especially be wary of such a disease.