Bronchitis

Bronchitis--a respiratory infection with a nonstop, body-racking cough-affects 3 to 5 percent of Australians per year. To feel better, what's usually needed is good-quality rest, lots of fluids and the right medication. 

What is happening

Defined as an inflammation of the bronchial tubes, brochitis is nearly always caused by a virus. You develop this respiratory infection when the virus enters your body through your nose or mouth. First it causes cold or flulike symptoms in your nasal passages and throat, and then it migrates down your windpipe to your bronchial tubes, the doorways to your lungs. To prevent the virus from entering these vital organs, the tubes swell up and their linings become inflamed. This protective inflammation, however, results in a lot of mucus production in your bronchial tubes, which your body tries to get rid of by coughing.  As the virus replicates, the bronchial tubes become even more inflamed, causing the raw, painful cough so characteristic of this condition.
   At first, your cough is dry, or nonproductive (meaning nothing is being expelled from your lungs); this is largely due to bronchial irritation. However, as mucus production increases and your anitbodies attack the invading organisms, you'll develop a wet, or productive, cough, bringing up white, yellow or green sputum (phlegm)---a mixture of mucus, dead viruses and infection-fighting white blood cells.
        There are actually two types of bronchitis. With acute bronchitis, severe symptoms usually ease up in two or three days, although a lingering, milder cough may hang on for several weeks. Chronic bronchitis is a different condition altogether, affecting mainly smokers. It is said to be present when you have a  mucus-producing cough on most days during a three-month period for two years in a row. Although long-term exposure to environmental irritants (dust, air pollution) can also make your more prone to chronic bronchitis, smoking is by far the most common cause of this condition. Repeated attacks of chronic bronchitis can eventually lead to serious lung damage if smoking continues (see about COPD on Next).

LIKELY FIRST STEPS

• Analgesics to relieve body aches, sore throat and fever.
• Cough medicines, one with an expectorant to ease continuous coughing and loosen phelgm, and one with a suppressant to quiet a lingering, nagging hack.
•  Plenty of rest to help your body flight off the inflection
•  Lots of fluids to hydrate mucous membranes.
•  For serious cases, a bron-chodilator to help you breathe more easily.

QUESTIONS TO ASK

• Am I contagious?
•  Does my overall health make me more prone to a bacterial infection?
• Should I stay home from work? And for how long?
• When can I return to my fitness routine?

Treatments

The viruses that cause bronchitis do not respond to antibiotics---even though you may think you're so sick that you need them. As it happens, most cases of acute bronchitis clear up on their own within about two weeks, provided you give your body what it needs most: plenty of rest and lots of fluids. You can treat a productive cough with over-the-counter expectorants and a lingering cough with suppressants; bring down any fever with analgesics. Breathing in warm, moist air will also help clear your bronchial tubes.

                                                     Treatment Options 
MEDICATIONS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Analgesics                                              Reduce fever and achiness.
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 Expectorants                                          Make it easier to bring up mucus.
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Cough suppressants                                For nagging but nonproductive cough.
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Antibiotics                                              Only needed if secondary infection develops.
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Bronchodilators                                      Open breathing tubes and ease coughing

LIFESTYLE CHANGES--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Reset                                                       What your body needs most
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Hydrate breathing tubes                           Inhale steam or use a humidifier at night.
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Keep air clean                                          Use an air purifier or AC with filter

 NATURAL METHODS
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Fruit & vegetables                                    Vitamin C and flavonoids protect health.
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Herbs                                                          Soothe symptoms and build immunity.

  For severe or persistents symptoms, you'll need to see your doctor, who may prescribe a broncodilator medication so that you can breathe easier. And only in the event that you develop a secondary bacterial infection should you be treated with anitbiotics.

TAKING CONTROL

• Get an annual flu vaccine---especially if you are older than the age of 65 or have chronic lung, heart or kidney disease--to bolster your defences against the viruses that cause bronchitis.
• Avoid respiratory irritants. Paint, dust, industrial fumes and smoke an aggravate the lining of  your bronchial tubes, intensifying your cough. Consider using an air purifier or an air conditioner to filter out such irritants.
• Don't count on antibiotics if you smoke. Recent research from Massachusetts General Hospital has found that antibiotics may be even less effective for smokers than for nonsmokers.
• Don't smoke. Just one puff of a cigarette can paralyse the cilia in your bronchial tubes, making your current attack last longer and future attacks more likely to occur.