This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Chronic bronchitis

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Chronic bronchitis is defined clinically as cough productive of sputum for at least three months in each year for three consecutive years. There is a strong causal association with smoking and is very often secondary to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (1).

It is characterised by intermittent dyspnoea with acute exacerbations. The patient produces profuse, mucopurulent sputum. As airflow becomes chronically obstructed, cor pulmonale and polycythaemia become common.

On chest radiography there are normal peripheral vessels. The arterial CO2 is raised, with alveolar gas transfer normal. Nocturnal hypoxaemia is profound, especially in REM sleep, and associated with pulmonary hypertension.

Chronic bronchitis frequently co-exists with emphysema, the two disease processes acting together to produce the final clinical picture of chronic obstructive airways disease.

Reference:


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.