What is the Relationship between Bronchitis and Asthma?
What is Bronchitis
Bronchitis is a respiratory disease which affects the large airways. The infection causes the muscles of the airways to be inflamed which means that less oxygen is able to pass through the lungs. This situation may be caused by some substances being inhaled for long periods of time which causes the airways to become inflamed. The infection will be accompanied by an excessive cough, heavy mucus or phlegm being expelled from the lungs, high fever and pain.
Types of Bronchitis
Bronchitis can be caused from viral or bacterial infections. In the case of a viral infection; the person may develop asthma after the infection has cleared up. This kind of asthma development usually occur in adults who have never had asthma; this is called adult onset asthma. For the person with asthma already, and develops bronchitis, their asthma symptoms will become much worse and they develop what is called, chronic asthmatic bronchitis.
Asthma and its Conditions
Unlike bronchitis; asthma is not a viral or bacterial infection, it is either a genetic inheritance or an environmental factor. Environmental, meaning dust, animal fur or pet dander, aerosol sprays, smoke, anything environmental can trigger an asthma attack. For asthma, your airways become swollen and irritated making it difficult for you to breathe. This is similar to bronchitis. You will also have the feeling of possibly drowning or not able to breath under water; wheezing, coughing at nights, fatigue, or excessive tiredness. This can be really frightening and if experiencing these symptoms you need to seek medical help.
All asthma sufferers are able to assess their symptoms during an attack and know when additional medical help is needed, apart from at home treatments. For persons who experience these symptoms, and have never had an asthma attack, and are experiencing these symptoms beyond two weeks, they need to seek medical help immediately, as their condition may be very serious.