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Bronchitis may be an acute process caused by infection or a chronic process caused by prolonged and repeated exposure to irritants, mainly tobacco smoke, and also as a result of frequent respiratory infections in childhood.
They are two separate disease entities, differing in etiology and course, and these differences are reflected in the treatment methods.
Treatment of acute bronchitis in viral infections, which accounts for 90% of cases, is symptomatic treatment. So they are given antipyretic drugs, drugs that suppress the cough reflex if the cough is dry and tiring, or drugs that thin the bronchial secretion and make it easier to expectorate when the cough is productive (wet). It is equally important to consume more fluids, moisten the air, for example by inhaling saline and pat the chest, which causes the mucus to “detach” from the bronchial walls. If the clinical picture of the disease shows signs of bronchoconstriction, the doctor may additionally recommend short-acting relaxants. Antibiotics should be used only when there is a justified suspicion of the bacterial etiology of this disease.
In the treatment of chronic bronchitis, the most important thing is to limit contact with toxic substances by quitting smoking, avoiding passive smoking, using masks with filters protecting the respiratory tract in the workplace, sometimes it is necessary to change the position. Pharmacological therapy is based on the use of bronchodilators, sometimes additionally with glucocorticosteroids. Treatment is long-term and requires the patient’s commitment and systematic approach. Untreated disease, and in particular continued smoking, progresses to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is characterized by progressive dyspnoea, to a state of respiratory failure requiring oxygen therapy.
med. Aleksandra Czachowska