Most diseases can have complications. Bronchitis is one of these pathologies. It develops due to any severe inflammation. Affects the mucous membrane of the bronchi. This disease can develop as an independent process, and as a complication. By itself, bronchitis is not such a terrible problem. Complications that occur against the background of pathology are considered a threat.
Disease forms
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 to the bronchi. If properly treated, the disease will pass in 3-4 weeks.
Children are most often affected by acute bronchitis. If the disease recurs regularly, it often develops into a chronic form.
Now the most common is obstructive bronchitis in adults. The symptoms and treatment of this disease are quite specific, as this form is one of the most severe.
Chronic form of the disease constantlyis progressing. Because of this, problems arise with the bronchial tree. A person observes constant relapses with periods of relief. Most often, chronic disease occurs due to smoking or persistent inflammatory processes.
Symptoms of disease
The symptoms of bronchitis are quite distressing. In addition to dry cough, the presence of sputum and mucus is 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 appear and he is thrown 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 a normal temperature and no cough. The kid can behave passively, refuse to eat, sleep badly. The latter is due to the fact that the bronchi are blocked, so it is quite difficult to breathe.
Obstructive bronchitis
Often obstructive bronchitis occurs without fever. Symptoms in the initial stages of the development of this type of disease may be completely absent. With this pathology, a person's airways are clogged. Because of this, the body begins to starve without oxygen. Accordingly, the patient's condition worsens. The most commonly described bronchitisobserved in children under 5 years of age. This is due to the fact that adults have immunity to this form of the disease, so they develop it only if bronchitis is in the chronic stage.
Causes of obstructive disease
Symptoms and treatment of acute obstructive bronchitis completely depend on the causes of its development. It can be caused by pathogenic microorganisms. We are talking about the influenza virus and so on. Sometimes a similar disease is caused by smoking, both active and passive. The environmental situation greatly affects the human bronchi. Therefore, if you constantly stay in a room where there is a bad microclimate, then this disease can develop quite quickly. Also, excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages can contribute to its occurrence. Genetic predisposition to the absence of group A immunoglobulin, the second blood type and low birth weight of a child can eventually cause an obstructive form of the disease.
Symptoms of obstructive bronchitis
The symptoms of bronchitis in an adult should be considered. Without temperature, the onset of the disease proceeds. Then there is a dry cough. Moreover, it appears in attacks, the patient begins shortness of breath and tachycardia, and a characteristic whistle is heard during exhalation. It should be noted that when symptoms are more prominent, jumps in body temperature may occur.
Chronic bronchitis
Before considering the symptoms of chronic bronchitis in adults, it is necessarynote that this disease is fixed only if the bronchi are inflamed for at least 3 months. At the same time, the term is rather conditional. The inflammation doesn't have to last all these months in a row.
If a patient periodically suffers from bronchitis, then he is given a chronic form after 2 years of relapses. 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, and prolonged exposure to chemicals. In children, this form of bronchitis very often occurs due to weakened immunity.
Chronic bronchitis treatment
The symptoms of chronic bronchitis do not differ from those described above. In order to fully recover from this disease and come to a stable remission, it is necessary to get rid of the factors that can provoke the disease. We are talking about both internal causes and external ones.
Many scientists suggest visiting special s alt caves for patients with chronic bronchitis. Their microclimate improves the general he alth of the patient, and also helps to heal the bronchi. However, there are few such caves left 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 we are talking not only about bronchitis, but also many other respiratory problems.
Antibiotics for bronchitis
To get rid of the symptoms of acute bronchitis or any otherform, prescribe antibiotics. If we are talking about a younger patient, then they should be prescribed with extreme caution. Otherwise, you can harm the he alth of the child. Drugs are used that thin and remove sputum from the bronchi. It is important to ensure excellent ventilation of the lungs, so you need to take drugs like Ambroxol.
Medicinal formulations should be prescribed only after testing. The doctor examines the secreted 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 bacteria of the penicillin type. These drugs are mild, often do not cause an allergic reaction.
- Microlites. These are antibiotics that disrupt the life cycle of pathogenic organisms. Due to this, the person recovers.
- Fluoroquinolones. These are antibiotics that are used if you need to start urgent treatment, but the results from the laboratory have not yet been received. These drugs are broad spectrum, so they won't hurt. 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 causes an allergic reaction quite often, 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, high fever, as well as pain in the throat, joints and muscles. This disease occurs due to the fact that a woman has a weakened immune system. It is forbidden to carry out complex diagnostics, and it is also impossible to take antibiotics. 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 coordinated with an obstetrician-gynecologist.
A woman may be prescribed inhalations that will protect the fetus from harmful substances in the lungs. If it is necessary to prescribe antibiotics, then “Bioparox” is selected.
Conservative medicine
In order to get rid of the symptoms of acute bronchitis in adults, the treatment must be correct. In addition to antibiotics, other means 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 needed if the causative agent was a virus. Oftenformulations for adults are great for children too.
Bronchitis pills 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 more suitable for more traditional methods of treatment or folk remedies.
Traditional methods
Excellent ways to relieve symptoms and treat bronchitis at home are traditional methods. These procedures allow you to speed up the healing process, as well as reduce symptoms. For example, inhalations help well. They are made either with a nebulizer or steam. The latter are done in an old-fashioned way.
The patient needs to bend over the boiling liquid, where there is a special solution. Steam should be inhaled. If desired, you can apply a more modern method. 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 that promote expectoration. Juniper, sage, calendula and so on are great.
A nebulizer is a device that is filled with a special solution. Inhalations can be carried out for both adults and children. It is important to be as careful as possible in order not to get burned.
Symptoms of acute bronchitis in adults can be suppressed by 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 remedy. Thanks to mustard plasters, you can warm up the chest, so sputum will be fasterdepart. They are located on the chest and back. On the chest, the mustard must be placed 7 cm below the clavicles, and on the back - between the shoulder blades and slightly lower. You should not keep them for more than 10 minutes. You also need to periodically pay attention to your feelings. If there is a burning sensation, then you need to remove the mustard plaster. If there is discomfort, 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 in the presence of an obstructive form. Also, proper breathing will help get rid of phlegm.
You also need to do simple exercises that resemble a regular warm-up. In a standing position, you need to put your feet shoulder-width apart. Next, the patient should clench his hands into a fist, lower them down and at the same time take a sharp breath. It is done with the 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, phlegm) allows a special massage with cups. You can do it not only with the help of them. There are also honey, drainage, vibration and acupressure types of massage. Only a specialist should perform them. Thanks to it, you can improve blood circulation, so this method is quite effective. Particularly suitable for babies.
If we talk about massage at home, then you can perform it for the chest. It is enough to put the patient on his back, while the knees should be bent. It is necessary to rub the chest from belowup. In this case, the movements should be soft and relaxed. After a short massage, you can press on the chest. This will help to expel mucus. Do this at least 5 times in one session. It should be noted that this method is an addition to conservative treatment. Only complex therapy allows you to get rid of bronchitis as much as possible.
Treatment at home
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 prepare some compositions on your own for external use.
Among the most effective options, an infusion of elecampane root should be noted. This remedy is quite good for expectoration. It is necessary to pour a teaspoon of the root with boiling water and insist. It takes about half an hour to keep the solution. You need to drink the contents in one day, previously divided into three or four doses.
The most good warming agent is potato cakes. If there are no mustard plasters, then you can use them. To carry out the procedure, it is necessary to boil one potato in their skins, then crush it into mashed potatoes, s alt, it is advisable to use 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. It is necessary to lie in this position until the potato has completely cooled down.
The best antipyretic is a decoction of coltsfoot. Dried collection required (1Art. spoon) brew in a glass of boiling water, then soak in a water bath for 15 minutes, then leave to infuse for 45 minutes. The liquid should fill the entire glass. Drink warm before every meal.
Knotweed infusion is considered the best anti-inflammatory agent. To prepare a healing composition, you need to use one tablespoon of herbs. Next, pour boiling water and place in a water bath. Insist 10 minutes. Let the product stand for 2-3 hours. Drink the resulting composition up to 4 times a day, 0.5 cups each.
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 develop 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 (fever, chest pain, cough, and so on), then you can quite 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 he alth risks become significantly higher. That is why such a complication can lead to death. Often before pneumonia there is bronchitis without fever. Many patients have similar symptoms.
If pneumonia develops, then the patient subsequently begins to worry about coughing. Followed byexacerbation, including fever. Mucus appears in the lungs. You need to be treated immediately, until the whole body is affected.
Heart failure
The symptoms of chronic bronchitis, not noticed and treated 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 will begin 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 should immediately go to the hospital.
Emphysema
Sometimes the symptoms of bronchitis in adults can cause a person to develop emphysema. As a rule, the prerequisites for such complications is bronchitis in an 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 heavy 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
Asthma often occurs when the symptoms of bronchitis are ignored. In this case, asthma attacks occur most often at night. Gradually, if left untreated, attacks lead to the fact that a person has problems with the heart. There is respiratory failure. 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 left untreated at this stage, asthma can also cause several other comorbidities.
Bronchial obstruction
Another disease that develops when the symptoms of bronchitis are ignored. Most often, these are the consequences. The disease manifests itself due to inflammation, usually in the initial stages, begins with dystonia. There may be swelling, due to which the mucous membrane changes. Very rarely, the cause of the disease is compression of the bronchi. This disease develops very quickly, so this syndrome is quite dangerous.
Results
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 the symptoms, then the development of adverse consequences for the body is not excluded. This is the danger of the diseases mentioned in this material. All possible therapies are described above. The main thing is to see a doctor in time so that he can prescribe treatment. Pregnant women and children - the most immunocompromised category of the population - should be especially wary of such a disease.
