ACUTE BRONCHITIS:
It is the acute infection of the mucous membrane of trachea and bronchi produced by viruses and bacteria or external irritants.
Causes
Precipitating causes
1)Infection - bacterial or viral or descending infection from nasal sinuses or throat.
2) Complicating other diseases:e.g.:measles, whooping cough
3)Physical and chemical irritants: inhaled dust, steam, gases like SO2, ether.
4)Allergic bronchitis following inhalation of pollen or organic dust.
Symptoms
X Toxemic: malaise,fever,palpitation,fever,sweating, etc.
X Irritative cough with expectoration. At first scanty viscid sputum later more copious and muco purulent. Substernal pain or raw sensation behind the sternum.
X Obstructive: chocked up feeling, paroxysms of dyspnoea particularly following spells of coughing relieved by expectoration.
Signs
In early stages few abnormal signs apart from occasional rhonchi. After 2 or, 3 days diffuse bilateral rhonchi often with rales at the bases, prolonged expiration and then expiratory wheeze.
CHRONIC BRONCHITIS:
A clinical disorder characterized by productive cough due to excessive mucous secretion in the bronchial tree not caused by local bronchopulmonary disease, on most of the days for at least three months during the year for at least two consecutive years.
Causes
1) Infection
a) As a result of acute bronchitis
b) Infective focus in the upper respiratory tract
c) Infective focus in lungs.eg:bronchiectasis,fibrosis or tuberculosis
2) Smoking: particularly of cigarettes
3) Air pollution: due to industrial fumes and dust.
4) General illness: which favors infection: obesity, alcoholism and chronic kidney disease.
Symptoms of bronchitis
1) Cough: constant paroxysmal cough, worse in winter or on exposure to cold winds or sudden change of temperature.
2) Expectoration: variable. It may be little, thin and mucous or thick or frothy, mucoid and sticky. It may become mucopurulent during attacks of acute bronchitis in winter.
3)Dyspnoea: in advanced cases, breathing becomes quick and wheezing present even at rest.
4) Fever: absent except in acute exacerbation.
5) Hemoptysis: usually in the form of streaks of blood.
Signs
1) Build: usually short and stalky
b)Cyanosis:rarely with clubbing.
c)signs )signs of air way obstruction: prolonged expiration, pursing of lips during expiration, contraction of expiratory muscles of respiration, fixation of the scapula by clamping the arms at the bedside, in drawing of supraclavicular fossa and intercostal spaces during inspiration and jugular venous distension during expiration due to excessive swings of intrathoracic pressure.
d) Wide-spread wheezes of variable pitch usually marked in expiration. Crackles of lung bases in patients with excessive bronchial secretions. Both wheezing and crackles may be altered in character by coughing.
Investigations
1) Ventillatory indices: reduced PEF and VC.
2) Chest radiography: It may be normal. Infective episodes may produce patchy shadows of irregular distribution due to pneumonic consolidation, and small linear fibrotic scar may result.
Homeopathic treatment.
Since acute bronchitis presents with too many symptoms, homeopathy has got a better scope in the treatment of acute bronchitis. The advantage of homeopathic treatment is that the change of acute bronchitis to chronic bronchitis can be very well prevented.
In chronic bronchitis, especially if it occurs in old aged people and with a history of smoking complete cure is very difficult. But symptomatic relief can be given, and thus the quality of life can be increased.
But in young people if homeopathic treatment is tried with lifestyle modification definitely complete cure is possible.
Medicines for acute bronchitis
Antim, tart, Ipecac, Ars alb, Grindelia, etc.
Medicines for chronic bronchitis-
Thuja, Ars alb, Tuberculinum, Bacil, Senega, Aspidosperma, etc.