Asthmatic bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchi accompanied by paroxysmal coughing and shortness of breath. Both adults and children are susceptible to disease, although in the latter it occurs much more often.
It poses the greatest threat to children under six years of age, since at this age the child has an increased susceptibility to infections and a predisposition to allergies.
The described type of bronchitis is dangerous in that, with incorrect or untimely treatment, it can turn into bronchial asthma.
That is why it is important not only to undergo diagnostics and consult with a specialist, but also to have a complete understanding of the disease yourself.
Asthmatic bronchitis
Asthmatic bronchitis has an infectious or allergic etiology. It is characterized by inflammation and spasm of the bronchi, increased secretion of sputum.
At the same time, the walls of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract swell, due to which cough and shortness of breath develop. The patient’s condition is regarded as pre-asthmatic , without pronounced suffocation.
Types of asthmatic bronchitis
Bronchitis with an asthmatic component is both acute and chronic. Moreover, the first form of bronchitis can easily turn into the second, if the ailment is not recognized in time and appropriate treatment is not started.
The chronic type is also divided into varieties depending on the cause of the inflammation:
- atopic bronchitis, if the disease is of an allergic nature;
- infectious if the body has been affected by pathogenic viruses or microorganisms;
- pathomorphological (aka mixed), when the causes of the disease were simultaneously an allergic reaction and the intervention of an infectious agent.
Regardless of the nature of the course of the disease, asthmatic bronchitis is classified according to a number of other criteria. For example, it is primary, if it has developed independently, or secondary, if it is a complication of another pathology.
It is purulent or catarrhal, if the discharge is purulent or mucous, respectively. May be obstructed if ventilation is impaired, or may not.
Finally, there is prolonged and recurrent bronchitis, and the latter occurs in a person three times a year, or even more often.
Causes of the disease
As noted earlier, bronchitis with an asthmatic component has a polyetiological nature, that is, it can arise as a result of the influence of several factors.
The sooner the doctor finds out what triggered the appearance of the pathology, the more effective the treatment will be. Determining the root cause is an important step.
In atopic bronchitis, the disease is a consequence of the development of an allergic reaction to a non-infectious irritant. Most often, such an irritant is house dust, animal hair, plant pollen or poplar fluff.
There are frequent cases when vapors of household chemicals, some kind of product or food additive become an allergen. In children, allergies can be caused by drugs or vaccines in the presence of an individual intolerance.
In all of the above situations, the patient’s exposure to the allergen should be limited as soon as possible. It is likely that the disease will go away on its own.
The cause of the development of the disease in infectious bronchitis is the effect on the body of viruses, bacteria and even fungi. In most cases, the disease with this form of bronchitis occurs when infected with pathogenic staphylococcus.
The presence of infection can be determined by analyzing the secretion of the bronchial tree or by an increased level of specific antibodies.
There are frequent cases when a harmless viral or bacterial disease is complicated by asthmatic bronchitis. As a rule, complications are given by influenza, ARVI, common bronchitis or tracheitis, and lung diseases.
Children under two years of age who suffer from measles or whooping cough are at risk. In a small child, if he is sick, the reaction of the bronchi to extraneous stimuli is aggravated.
Symptoms
Usually, the course of bronchitis with an asthmatic component is recurrent: the patient has periods of exacerbations and remissions. At the same time, during remission, the symptoms completely disappear, and it may seem that the disease has passed.
But they return during the next phase, and such relapses, if they happen more than once or twice, eventually lead to the development of bronchial asthma.
Symptoms of asthmatic bronchitis to some extent depend on what form of bronchitis is observed in the patient, but are generally similar to each other. The acute variety is characterized by:
- a sharp dry cough (during remission – wet), which occurs in a patient paroxysmal after physical exertion;
- noisy shortness of breath with whistling and wheezing, shortness of breath, but without the development of status asthmaticus;
- slight malaise, weakness;
- low-grade fever (from 37.1 to 38.0 ° C) and sweating;
- sore throat and itching;
- nasal congestion due to sinus swelling;
- chest pain in the area of the bronchial tree;
- irritability.
If bronchitis has passed into the chronic stage, then some of the symptoms subside and do not give an accurate picture, although the patient is still very worried.
Despite the fact that the temperature and signs of intoxication are generally absent, the patient constantly coughs, especially at night, and shortness of breath is also observed.
If the disease is accompanied by bronchial obstruction, there are no noticeable attacks of suffocation, since the bronchioles are not affected. The respiratory organs do not change, so the X-ray cannot show the presence of the disease.
Nevertheless, discharge, often purulent, will still collect in the bronchi, and a significant risk of complications remains.
Diagnosis of asthmatic bronchitis
If a person notices symptoms of asthmatic bronchitis, then the best thing he can do is get tested. These are done by a pulmonologist and often include chest x-rays, laboratory blood tests, and bronchoscopy.
If the results are ambiguous, additional diagnostics are needed: sputum culture, study of bronchial waters, endoscopy, spirometry, and so on.
Treatment
Chronic bronchitis, especially with an asthmatic component, is not easy to treat. Treatment must be supervised by a specialist, as he develops an individual course for each patient and adjusts it if necessary.
Which doctor will prescribe treatment depends on the nature of the disease. An allergist deals with atopic bronchitis, a pulmonologist or a therapist deals with infectious bronchitis.
Eliminating the cause of the disease is half the battle, especially when it comes to atopic bronchitis. But in some cases, it is impossible to completely prevent the patient’s contact with the allergen.
Then specific or nonspecific hyposensitization is applied – a set of measures aimed at reducing a person’s sensitivity to an allergen.
During specific hyposensitization, the patient is injected with the allergen-pathogen, starting with micro doses and gradually increasing the dosage until the body becomes more resistant to external influences.
The immunization course does not end there, but continues for at least two more years to consolidate the result.
Nonspecific hyposensitization is expressed in carrying out physiotherapeutic procedures, as well as in the intake of histaglobulin, allergoglobulin and adaptogens.
Mandatory and optional medications
For the treatment of chronic asthmatic bronchitis of an allergic type, antihistamines are necessarily prescribed.
The least toxic third-generation drugs are recommended, where chloropyramine, clemastine , fexofenadine and others act as active ingredients .
Antibiotics are prescribed when bronchitis is infectious and often belong to one of the following groups: cephalosporins, lincosamides, and macrolides .
the first group has the widest range of effects of all, but antibiotics of the third group not only suppress the vital activity of harmful viruses or bacteria, but also improve the condition of the bronchial mucosa.
An obligatory part of therapy is the administration of bronchospasmolytics ( bronchodilators ) and mucolytics .
The former relax the muscle tissue and prevent the occurrence of spasms, the latter help to facilitate the separation of phlegm by thinning it, have a weak anti-inflammatory effect.
For the general strengthening of the body, the therapist can prescribe inhalations, massage, acupuncture, and even lightweight physical education.
To enhance the effect of medicines, you can use the methods of traditional medicine: herbal infusions, mustard baths, clay applications, and so on.
At the same time, do not forget that not a single folk remedy can fully replace medications (although some herbs are simply irreplaceable for bronchitis, for example, oregano).
Forecast
Most patients with asthmatic bronchitis have a good prognosis: with proper treatment, they recover quickly. And yet, almost a third of patients experience an exacerbation.
If you do not take action on time, the disease will transform into bronchial asthma, which will be much more difficult to get rid of.
Prevention of asthmatic bronchitis
Since it is always much easier to prevent a disease than to cure it, one should not forget about prevention. The general condition of the body should be strengthened, and hardening, water procedures, breathing exercises will help well in this.
Excessive physical activity is contraindicated, but this does not mean that you can forget about a healthy lifestyle: you need to regularly engage in physiotherapy exercises.
Finally, contact with allergens should be avoided whenever possible. During the period of seasonal colds, it is better to avoid large crowds of people.