Bronchitis is a disease that people experience quite often. In this case, the disease is often the main cause of the development of pathologies localized in the lower region of the respiratory system. Almost every inhabitant of the planet at least once encountered bronchitis, the classification of which will be presented below. A characteristic feature of this disease is the appearance of a dry cough, which can be of varying intensity. Cough is accompanied by phlegm, it appears a few days after the onset of the acute phase of the disease.
What are bronchitis
Classification of this disease implies several of its varieties. It will depend on the characteristic symptoms and many other factors. Depending on the genesis of the infection, bronchitis can be primary, in which the pathology first of all begins to develop in the bronchi. The classification of bronchitis also includessecondary type of this disease. This is due to another disease, such as whooping cough, pneumonia, tuberculosis.
Types of bronchitis depending on location
The very name of the disease generalizes all varieties of pathology in which the inner surface of the bronchial tree is affected. During this, a person develops a cough with sputum, but it may not be observed. As a rule, regardless of the classification of bronchitis, it is always accompanied by an increase in temperature.
Bronchi are divided into small, medium and large. Depending on which part of them was affected, the classification of bronchitis implies its three main forms: bronchiolitis, tracheobronchitis and bronchitis.
Bronchitis
This diagnosis, as a rule, is made to patients with existing inflammation of the small and medium bronchi. The disease begins as a cold, which is accompanied by cough, sore throat, increased sweating and hoarseness. Cough in this case can be of a different nature, as well as intensity, ranging from moderate to very strong. Initially, sputum is almost absent, and it appears only a few days after the cough.
Tracheobronchitis
This diagnosis suggests that the patient has inflamed part of the trachea, as well as large bronchi, where it goes. The symptoms of this pathology are very similar to the form and type of bronchitis, but the main difference lies in the nature of the pain syndrome and cough. Tracheobronchitis is accompanied by drycough, and if sputum is formed, then its amount is very small. By the nature of the manifestation, the cough itself can be called paroxysmal. It is mainly observed at night, during stress, crying, and also with a sharp change in air temperature.
Bronchiolitis
In this case, the most remote and small bronchi, which are called bronchioles, are affected. In most cases, this disease is accompanied by inflammation of the upper sections, but it can also occur spontaneously and acutely without inflammation of the large bronchial trunks and nasopharynx. This type of disease is characterized by a severe course, which is aggravated by the appearance of respiratory failure due to the fact that there has been a strong narrowing of the airway lumen in the distal small bronchi. This can even lead to hypoxia.
Acute bronchitis
ICD-10 code for acute bronchitis - J20. The symptoms of this type of disease are not too pronounced, so it is necessary to take into account not only the existing clinical signs, but also to understand the genesis and etiology of the disease.
Acute bronchitis (according to ICD-10 - J20) has the same manifestations that are characteristic of the inflammatory process in small and medium bronchi. The main feature of the acute form is that with it all the symptoms completely disappear after recovery.
The nature and presence of sputum are important diagnostic features that help to make the correct formulation of the diagnosis of acute bronchitis. If inIf there is blood in the sputum, then this indicates any damage to the mucous membrane due to a strong attack of coughing, as well as due to rupture of blood vessels in the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract. In addition, the detection of blood in the patient's sputum may indicate the development of cancer or the presence of tuberculosis.
If there is pus in the sputum, then this is a symptom of a purulent infection. If the discharge is completely composed of pus, then it is customary to talk about purulent bronchitis.
But the symptoms of acute bronchitis (ICD-10 - J20) are as follows:
- Hyperthermia, which can be of a different nature, ranging from subfebrile to febrile indicators.
- Dry cough that becomes productive over time.
- Feeling tired and generally weak.
- Increased sweating.
- Chills and body aches.
- Dry wheezing with very hard breathing.
- Shortness of breath if the disease has affected a large part of the respiratory tract.
Formulation of the diagnosis of chronic bronchitis
It should be noted right away that in the chronic form, this disease is not completely cured. Chronic bronchitis is constantly in a progressive state. The main reasons for the development of this pathology are the following:
- Frequent cases of acute bronchitis.
- Insufficient treatment of acute respiratory diseases.
- Focuses of infection localized in the upper respiratory tract, as well as in the oral cavity, for example,tonsillitis or stomatitis.
- Wrong climate: foggy, wet weather, cold snap.
- Persistent irritation of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract (gas, dust, dirty industrial air and more).
- Smoking. You should also pay attention to the fact that passive smoking can also be a provoking factor in chronic bronchitis.
- Hereditary predisposition.
The disease proceeds strictly individually. In some patients, the treatment of chronic bronchitis is sluggish with a long remission, and there are no signs of any deformation of the bronchial anatomical elements. In other patients, exacerbations appear partially, they are provoked by various reasons: hypothermia, changes in air temperature, and many others.
During remission, a productive morning cough may be observed, and during the progression of the disease, it may also occur at night. After some time, purulent contents begin to accumulate in the sputum.
In most cases, exacerbations of chronic bronchitis are observed in the off-season, when the weather often changes outside. If the patient has an additional infection, then the foci of inflammation may be replaced by a diffuse type of bronchitis, and the disease will affect the deeper layers, which in turn will lead to deformation of the histological structure of the bronchi.
In this case, there is more sputum, and it has a purulent appearance. The patient begins to cough harder, and the symptoms develop further in such a way thatwhich becomes similar to acute bronchitis. And if the patient still has a diagnosis of cor pulmonale, then there may be problems with blood circulation.
Diagnosis of disease
To determine acute and chronic bronchitis, the patient must be examined. To begin with, the specialist finds out from the patient the details of the disease: how it began, how often this happens. When answering the question about which doctor to contact with bronchitis, it should be noted that the following specialists can examine an adult:
- Pulmonologist.
- Otolaryngologist.
- Phthisiatrician.
- Infectionist.
- Allergist.
- Oncologist.
While listening to the chest, the doctor determines the presence of wheezing and the nature of the patient's breathing. In parallel with this, the following tests can be prescribed to the patient by a specialist:
- Histological and bacteriological analysis of sputum.
- Spirogram.
- General analysis of urine and blood.
- X-ray as needed.
In the complex course of the disease, bronchoscopy and computed tomography are additionally prescribed, since without these data it is impossible to identify some aspects where it should be attributed, for example, the degree of deformation that occurs with destructive bronchitis.
In addition, the specialist receives important data after sputum examination. An important role in determining the disease is played by the color and nature of the secretions, the content of epithelial cells, irritating agents, macrophages,allergens.
Possible Complications
If the wrong treatment is carried out, unpleasant consequences may occur. The infection can spread through the respiratory tract and go down, which is why pneumonia of a different nature often appears. If the patient has a weak immune system, then in this case, as well as due to the lack of treatment or its incorrect implementation, pneumonia may develop, which in some cases becomes chronic.
The overall outcome of therapy will depend on the degree of damage to the bronchial epithelium. As a rule, the acute form of the disease is completely cured, but this cannot be said about chronic bronchitis. In this case, the history of the disease (bronchitis) will depend on the individual characteristics of the patient's he alth. If small bronchi were affected, and there are also purulent foci, then in some cases this leads to death. Also, the probable complications of any type of bronchitis include diseases such as:
- COPD
- Pneumonia.
- Emphysema.
- Heart problems.
- Accession of the asthmatic component.
- Deformation of the bronchi.
- Hypertension, pulmonary insufficiency.
In closing
In most cases, the cause of bronchitis lies in infection. But if the immune system is weakened, then a secondary infection can also join. If the diagnosis is carried out correctly and in a timely manner, and appropriate drug therapy is prescribed, thenthe prognosis for the treatment of the disease is favorable.
