Everyday, a great majority of people who smoke cigarettes are more prone to respiratory diseases such as emphysema, lung cancer and chronic bronchitis. Even people nearby suffer inhaling second hand smoke are also affected as much as they are. Unfortunately, a disease like chronic bronchitis builds over time and mostly ignored by people who have it. At the beginning, it seems to be simple cough that can be treated by cough remedies. As the disease progresses, the body feels weak as wheezing, chest pain and several chronic bronchitis symptoms appear. Another leading reason behind chronic bronchitis symptoms is smoking.For a better understanding of the topic, what is chronic bronchitis?
From a medical perspective, chronic bronchitis is a cough experienced daily accompanied by sputum production. However, the cough can last for at least three months, two years in a row. Therefore, people afflicted with chronic bronchitis cannot ignore the symptoms since having cough for a long period of time can really be difficult and disturbing. The most damage happens to the bronchi –large air tubes leading from the trachea to the lungs which is responsible for conveying air. As chronic bronchitis develops, the bronchi suffers from chronic inflammation and swelling with a lot of mucus production. This can result to limited passage of air and make the hair-like appendages known as cilia shed and lose their function. In order to prevent this situation, the following rundown of chronic bronchitis symptoms should enlighten you:
Cough and mucus production. Cough can stay for at least three months and felt everyday by individuals making it easy to point out chronic bronchitis symptoms. The sputum may appear as yellowish or greenish and in some cases, have some blood. It is also termed as smoker’s cough which seems to be bad in the morning and gets better as the day progresses.
Dyspnea ( shortness of breath ) slowly increases as the disease develops. People with chronic bronchitis symptoms easily run out of breath even for a small amount of physical activity.
Wheezing Aside from the aforementioned, chronic bronchitis symptoms can also include sore throat, nasal congestion, headaches and chest pain due to severe coughing. It is then recommended that you visit a doctor once you detect chronic bronchitis symptoms.