Obstructive bronchitis in adults: symptoms and treatment

Bronchitis is one of the most common respiratory diseases. Obstructive form of this disease is more common in children, but sometimes affects adults. About his symptoms and treatment of bronchitis at home, we will tell you in more detail.

Obstructive bronchitis in adults is an inflammatory disease in which, due to damage to the mucous membrane of the bronchi, there is a spasm that narrows them and makes breathing difficult in general. It differs from ordinary bronchitis by the fact that sputum dries with difficulty, there is shortness of breath. Running the process of inflammation can lead to irreversible changes in the lungs, disrupt their full ventilation.

Important! Obstructive bronchitis can develop as an independent disease or be a complication of SARS or influenza.

Reasons for

There are several factors affecting the development of obstructive bronchitis:

1. Infectious diseases of the respiratory tract, colds started.
2. Allergic reactions.
3. Smoking and second-hand smoke.
4. Poor environmental conditions, too polluted air.
5. Hazardous to health conditions, contact with toxic substances.

Symptoms and signs of

There are several basic signs of obstructive form that help distinguish it from other diseases:

1. Strong cough. At the very beginning of the disease, it will be dry, after a while it will become wet, sputum will appear. If it becomes greenish, there should be a sharp deterioration of the condition as a whole, which means that a bacterial infection has added to the bronchitis.
2. Temperature. Its increase accompanies the acute period of the disease.
3. Shortness of breath. This symptom is characteristic only for obstructive bronchitis, so it can be distinguished from the usual one. Shortness of breath is caused by bronchospasm, the doctor can notice wheezing in the lungs.
4. Rapid fatigue, weakness, chills and other symptoms of colds.

Important! If these symptoms appear, treatment should be started as soon as possible.

Types of the disease

This disease can be of several types. Each has its own peculiarities and subtleties of treatment.

Acute obstructive bronchitis

The acute form of the disease is a consequence of infection, most often it is sick during the cold and wet season. Symptoms of acute bronchitis do not last long: if treatment is timely, they take place within two weeks, the prognosis is favorable.

However, if the time does not begin to be treated, the acute form can go into chronic or cause bronchial asthma.

Chronic obstructive bronchitis

Most often, this disease affects smokers. In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the airways are constantly narrowed due to thickening of the walls, the mucous membranes are inflamed. Over time, changes become irreversible.

Sometimes this disease occurs in people who have been ill many times with inflammatory viral diseases of the lungs and respiratory tract.

Important! On how to treat chronic bronchitis in adults read in our article.

Recurrent obstructive bronchitis

This type of bronchitis means a second disease if a viral or bacterial infection has not been treated to the end. Adult this disease affects rarely, children more often, and for them it is more dangerous. If the primary bronchitis has been cured correctly, to the end, again it should not come back.

Treatment

Treatment of bronchitis is simple, but serious and requires haste. The sooner it is started, the less likely all kinds of complications.

Preparations for obstructive bronchitis

First of all, it is necessary to eliminate the cause of the disease - the virus. To do this, anti-inflammatory drugs( Nurofen, Interferon) and antiviral agents( for example, Arbidol or Cycloferon) are prescribed. If there is a high probability of complications, treatment is prescribed in the form of injections.

Antibiotics for this disease are recommended only if a bacterial infection develops in parallel. They are selected exclusively after analysis of sputum microflora, taking into account the condition of the patient and the severity of the disease. If there is no bacterial damage and there is no threat of complications, antibiotics will only worsen the condition by suppressing immunity.

Important! Read more about what drugs are used to treat bronchitis.

Usually, expectorants are prescribed, diluting sputum and helping to remove it from the body. It can be:

• Lazalvan;
• Herbion;
• Sinekod;
• Erespal.

Inhalation is also effective in bronchitis. There are special solutions( Lazalvan or Ambrobene, Rotokan) with medicines sold in pharmacies, and home, based on herbs or essential oils of eucalyptus, mint, rosemary.

Treatment at home

The whole complex of procedures directed against obstructive bronchitis can be performed at home. In a hospital usually send those patients who have a suspicion of pulmonary insufficiency or pneumonia.

At home it is important to maintain a bed rest, at least 3-4 days. If bronchitis is associated with allergic reactions, you should maintain cleanliness, often ventilate.

Treatment with folk remedies

This disease can easily be treated with folk remedies if it is not started.

With bronchitis, broths and infusions of various herbs and dinners are good. They can be made on the basis of mint, chamomile, linden.

Honey, if there is no allergy, is an excellent remedy for colds and many diseases of the respiratory system. To support your body and activate immunity, it is enough to eat a couple of teaspoons a day, washed down with herbal infusion or weak tea.

Important! It is worth remembering that if you add honey directly to the hot liquid, it will lose its useful properties.

It is not recommended to use warming ointments and mustard plasters, because intensive heating can only intensify the inflammatory processes in the lungs. If you want to make a heat compress, it's better to make it from crushed boiled potatoes. It must be welded and cooled to a comfortable temperature. In general, it is not always useful to heat bronchitis.

Important! Folk methods can not completely replace medical treatment. If there is impairment, you should consult your doctor.

Nutrition

For obstructive bronchitis, it is recommended to follow a diet. The diet during the disease should include more plant foods, fruits and vegetables, cereals. For certainty, you can remove the products that cause allergies - sweet, spicy, salty, food with dyes and flavors.

It is recommended not to drink strong tea or coffee during treatment, these products dehydrate the weakened body. It is better to replace them with herbal decoctions, juices and plain water.

During illness it is better to drink more, so sputum will go out easier, well-being will improve.

Massage and gymnastics

When the main symptoms of bronchitis go away, the doctor can recommend massage or curative respiratory gymnastics. These methods are designed to restore immunity after the disease, to strengthen the affected lungs and the body as a whole.

In some cases, gymnastics may be contraindicated. All details and the chosen technique should be discussed with the attending physician.

Consequences of obstructive bronchitis

The prognosis for this disease is favorable, in most cases after the acute form it can be completely restored. If the treatment has been started, you can expect a relapse, development of a chronic form or pneumonia.

Therefore, the possible consequences of the disease almost entirely depend solely on the action or inaction of the patient. With competent and timely treatment complications are minimal.

Prevention

In any case, it is easier to prevent the disease than to treat it later. Prevention of obstructive bronchitis is fairly simple, but effective.

It is not necessary to transfer catarrhal diseases "on legs", it is necessary to dress warmer in a cold and wet season. The intake of vitamins will help to strengthen immunity in such periods.

Important! It is necessary to completely abandon smoking, which provokes chronic bronchitis more often.

If the disease is associated with an allergy, you should maintain your place of residence in frequency, remove all objects that can accumulate too much dust. Do not neglect wet cleaning. Irritators should be excluded from the diet.

Knowing all about the ways of preventing and treating bronchitis, you can avoid it or achieve a stable remission if the chronic form is already there.