What is Bronchitis?
The Smoking Facts About Acute and Chronic Bronchitis

What is bronchitis? The smoking facts show that one of the main smoking effects on the body is chronic irritation of the airways and destruction of the protective functions that keep the airways clean.

Symptoms of bronchitis include lots of coughing and bringing up lots of mucus.

The bronchi are the tubes that carry the air in and out of your lungs so that you can get life giving oxygen and get rid of life suppressing carbon dioxide.

This process occurs effortlessly and usually without conscious thought - unless something goes wrong that makes it difficult to get air in and out of the lungs.

What is Bronchitis?

Your air passages are lined with mucus membranes. The purpose of this tissue is to moisten the air as it passes into the lungs.

It also has a protective function by secreting mucous to trap foreign particles and invading pathogens. Once they are trapped in the mucus you have to cough them up!

There are also hair like structures lining the bronchi called "cilia". They have the main housekeeping job of sweeping out your airway tubes to keep them nice and clean.

Smoking Facts About Bronchitis

In the normal course of events this system works well to keep your airways clean and clear and you get all the oxygen you need with little effort.

One of the main smoking effects of the body is the disruption of this amazing system.

The cilia are destroyed by hot gases and the sticky, hot cigarette tar in the smoke you inhale. This is why smokers are more prone to develop acute bronchitis.

Over time the chronic irritation leads to chronic bronchitis.

The persistent inflammation and mucus blocking the airways will eventually result in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Chronic bronchitis and acute bronchitis can occur together. If you have chronic bronchitis and get an acute infection as well there is a risk of the infection moving directly into the lung tissues and causing a pneumonia.

Symptoms of Bronchitis

Both chronic and acute bronchitis create lots of mucus in the airways. This may lead to wheezing and coughing. Chronic bronchitis is the diagnosis when there are three or more years of coughing up yellow or green sputum along with shortness of breath, and increased coughing.

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