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- What is bronchitis?
- Symptoms of bronchitis
- Causes of bronchitis
- Prevention of bronchitis
- Risk factors for bronchitis
- Complications of bronchitis
- When to see a doctor about bronchitis
- Diagnosis of bronchitis
- Conventional treatment of bronchitis
- Alternative/complementary treatment of bronchitis
- Living with bronchitis
- Caring for someone with bronchitis
Acute bronchitis
There are a number of possible serious complications that can occur as a result of an acute bronchial infection and although these serious complications can be rare, they do occur:
- Chronic bronchitis - repeated occurrences of acute bronchitis can results in chronic bronchitis, which is considered a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), that can cause chronic obstruction of the airways in the lungs, which is generally considered to be permanent and worsens over time
- Pneumonia - if the acute bronchitis infection worsens, it can develop into the more serious infection condition pneumonia, which can occur due to the airway obstruction and the inability to cough out infected secretions of mucus. Pneumonia can be serious and life threatening, especially in babies, young children, older adults and anyone with any other condition
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Chronic bronchitis
There are a number of possible serious complications that can occur as a result of severely chronic bronchitis:
- COPD - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be caused when there is damage to the air passageways in the lungs due to chronic and severe bronchitis. COPD prevents normal breathing and is a leading cause of death due to respiratory failure, if the damage to the lungs is severe and widespread
- Emphysema - chronic bronchitis can develop into the serious lung condition emphysema, which can cause damage to the small air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs, prevent normal breathing and is a leading cause of death due to respiratory failure, if the damage to the lungs is severe and widespread
- Pneumonia - if the chronic bronchitis infection worsens, it can develop into the more serious infectious condition pneumonia, which can occur due to the airway obstruction and the inability to cough out infected secretions of mucus. Pneumonia can be serious and life threatening, especially in babies, young children, older adults and anyone with any other condition
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< 5: risk factors 7: when to see a doctor > Last reviewed: 10 November 2007 || Last updated: 3 January 2009
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NOTE: Mega doses of any type of vitamin, mineral, amino acid or herbal supplement cannot cure illnesses and in fact can be very dangerous and produce toxic side effects and interfere with medicine you are taking. Always ensure you consult your doctor before taking any type of complementary supplements.
Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. For any treatment or diagnosis of illness, please see your doctor.
