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Having known what is bronchitis, you have to know the two types of bronchitis. There is acute bronchitis, which affects you only for a few days, and this begins soon after cold or sore throat due to viral infection. Of course, there are no harmful or long-lasting effects. Next you have chronic bronchitis caused due to excessive phlegm in the airways. It is also accompanied by continuous coughing which can go on for as long as six months. Most people neglect it until it reaches a more advanced stage, but if immediate medical care is given, the damage to the lungs can be prevented.
Just knowing about what is bronchitis will not solve the problem, you also need to know the causes and symptoms and all facts about bronchitis. Smoking is the main cause of chronic bronchitis. In the same way pollution in the environment and certain kinds of exposures to chemicals can also lead to chronic bronchitis. Even if you are exposed frequently to second-hand smoke, the chances of getting affected by bronchitis are more.
As of today there is no proper treatment for bronchitis but changes in your lifestyle like quitting smoking and also an environmental change is necessary if you are living in an area which is prone to pollution. Drugs like bronchodilators can be used to open the air ways and corticosteroids can be used to reduce inflammation and production of phlegm. Doctors also prescribe expectorants to stop the coughing and antibiotics are prescribed to treat the disease.
If you are aware of what is bronchitis, then definitely you would take care of yourself by taking hot shower or using a humidifier in the bedroom or inhaling the steam from a bowl of hot water. Drinking lots of water and hot liquids can remove phlegm from the lungs. Including red peppers, curry and other spicy food regularly can help in mucus secretions.
Giving up of smoking is the best way to prevent bronchitis and also use of respiratory protection devices while working or staying in certain polluted areas can help us to prevent bronchitis to larger extent.
Proper ventilation in house, avoiding hot or cold weather, avoiding tranquilizers and sedatives, avoiding exposure to air-borne irritants such as any types of aerosols and insecticides is advisable. Over and above this, regular breathing exercises and quitting smoking completely are ways of living with bronchitis comfortably even after being diagnosed with bronchitis.
What are the facts about bronchitis in children? It is also a kind of infection in chests that affects babies and very small kids. Rapid and shallow breathing followed by high temperature are common signs of bronchitis. Sometimes the child may be wheezing as well. Of course, it can be cured by antibiotics but if the problem in breathing persists, the child has to be hospitalized.
Of course apt treatment for bronchitis is yet to be found; still one can live without getting affected by it or if so, without being completely laid down by it.
