| BRONCHITIS is a respiratory disease. It is an inflammation of bronchi that is accompanied by cough, hacking cough, wheeze & expectoration.
There are 2 major types of bronchitis: ACUTE and CHRONIC. Acute bronchitis is a common disease that typically protracts for a short period and is induced by flu, the common cold, or an infection. Therefore, this type of bronchitis is extremely infectious & is hereditary via cough, sneezing & merely by touching objects that have been touched by a sick person.
The other kind of the disease is chronic bronchitis. It lasts for longer period of time as compared to acute bronchitis. Its common conditions are similar to those of acute bronchitic: cough and wheeze. Yet, its causes are different. Chronic bronchitis is normally induced by smoking, second hand smoke, a virus and others. In general, it is not contagious. But it does not mean that the disease is less acute.
Though the causes differ significantly, the 2 types have a lot in common. Both of them are not susceptible to antibiotics. A virus causes bronchitis, & viral infections do not react to the germ-killing properties of antibiotics. They are effective against bacterial infections (for instance strep throat and bladder infections). Antibiotics can also lead to complications, such as diarrhoea & yeast infections. More than that, they can undermine your immune system. Hence, antibiotics may cause more harm than good if they are misused.
Whatever kind of bronchitis you have, it starts with hacking cough & gradually turns into begma accompanied by fever, splitting headaches and exhaustion.
As long as you have the above mentioned conditions, your acute bronchitis is deemed to be contagious. It you have had the disease for more than 6 months, you should make an appointment with your GP to get examined for other health problems.
The spread of bronchitis can be avoided. A sufferer should wash hands regularly & cover the mouth when coughing.
The best treatment for bronchitis is herbal remedies. They will not adversely impact on your immune system as antibiotics can do & target the root causes. Herbal remedies are effective against both acute & chronic bronchitis.
Anyway, it is better to avoid a disease than cure it. |
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