chronic bronchitis along with a pungent smell in the house. Is it making me sick?

Bronchitis signs or symptoms that may let you know the disease has grown to be more intensified are: intense cough associated with yellowish mucus, and in many cases spitting blood. In such cases therapy is essential.

It is vital to be aware to the signs and symptoms of bronchitis due to the fact when they're not dealt with they are able to lead to several overall health additional complications. However, home procedure and also self diagnose are usually not preferred.

Now let your medical professional make the accurate diagnose and provide you with the best treatment method. However, before you go to see the physician there are actually certain actions you can take: take in a lot of liquids, have a break, stay away from smoke as well as alcoholic drink, maintain your air moist within the room you spend most of your time.

The good thing to undertake when having chronic bronchitis is almost always to give up cigarettes and also change your eating habits, as well as having some rest and prevent anxiety. All of this may help in lowering the chronic bronchitis signs or symptoms.

The smell could be related, but a more common problem with electric heat is extremely low humidity. You could try using a humidifier in your bedroom.

What are the causes of chronic bronchitis?

There can be many causes of chronic bronchitis, but the main cause is cigarette smoke. Statistics from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that about 49% of smokers develop chronic bronchitis and 24% develop emphysema/COPD. Some researchers suggest that about 90% of cases of chronic bronchitis are directly or indirectly caused by exposure to tobacco smoke.

Many other inhaled irritants (for example, smog, industrial pollutants, and solvents) can also result in chronic bronchitis.

Viral and bacterial infections that result in acute bronchitis may lead to chronic bronchitis if people have repeated bouts with infectious agents.

Also, underlying disease processes (for example, asthma, cystic fibrosis, immunodeficiency, congestive heart failure, familial genetic predisposition to bronchitis, and congenital or acquired dilation of the bronchioles, known as bronchiectasis) may cause chronic bronchitis to develop, but these are infrequent causes as compared to cigarette smoking.

What are the risk factors for chronic bronchitis?

The major risk factor for individuals to develop chronic bronchitis is tobacco smoking and second-hand tobacco smoke exposure. However, there are others, such as repeated exposure to pollutants (especially airborne materials such as ammonia, sulfur dioxide, chlorine, bromine, hydrogen sulfide), dust, repeated bouts of acute bronchitis or pneumonia, and gastric reflux (by inhalation of gastric contents).

What are the symptoms of chronic bronchitis?

The major symptoms of chronic bronchitis are as follows:

Cough and sputum production are the most common symptoms; they usually last for at least three months and occur daily. The intensity of coughing and the amount and frequency of sputum production vary from patient to patient. Sputum may be clear, yellowish, greenish, or occasionally, blood-tinged. Since cigarette smoke is the most common cause for chronic bronchitis, it should not be surprising that the most common presentation is so called smoker's cough. This is characterized by a cough that tends to be worse upon arising and is often productive of discolored mucus in the early part of the day. As the day progresses, less mucus is produced.

Dyspnea (shortness of breath) gradually increases with the severity of the disease. Usually, people with chronic bronchitis get short of breath with activity and begin coughing; dyspnea at rest usually signals that COPD or emphysema has developed.

Wheezing (a coarse whistling sound produced when airways are partially obstructed) often occurs.

In addition, symptoms of fatigue, sore throat, muscle aches, nasal congestion, and headaches can accompany the major symptoms. Severe coughing may cause chest pain; cyanosis (bluish/grayish skin coloration) may develop in people with advanced COPD. Fever may indicate a secondary viral or bacterial lung infection. When symptoms worsen or become more frequent, this is often referred to as an exacerbation of chronic bronchitis. These exacerbations often require antibiotics, and may need steroid medication and an increase in respiratory inhaled medications.