Can Asthma Lead To Bronchitis?
With the onset of winter in most parts of the country, breathing in cold air may be risky for people with asthma, bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).
As the temperature drops, there is a lack of moisture in the air, making the air dry. The cold and dry air can irritate the airways and lungs. This causes the upper airways to narrow making it a little harder to breathe and trigger symptoms such as wheezing and coughing.
Cold air can also reduce the moisture layer lining our lower airways by causing it to evaporate faster than normal. Besides, mucous, the protective layer of the throat, also becomes stickier and thicker than normal in cold weather. This might obstruct the airways and raise the risk of contracting an infection or cold.
What is Asthma?
People with asthma are at a greater risk of breathing in small particles haze or polluted air. When something troubles the airways and there is trouble breathing, it is called an asthma attack. Asthma is an inflammatory condition that leads to tightening and swelling of the muscles around the airways causing the airways to narrow, hence, making it difficult to breathe. The national burden of asthma is estimated at 17.23 million with a prevalence of 2.05 per cent.
When the airways are inflamed, they produce mucous as the body attempts to flush out what it thinks is an infection. This mucous can further block and damage the airways. An asthma attack occurs when anything that is in the airways including bacteria or viruses gets trapped in the airways. Eventually, the trapped particles damage the lung tissue and increase the risk of bronchitis.
What is Bronchitis?
Bronchitis is an obstructive lung disorder that’s similar to COPD. It is inflammation in the lungs that follows a viral illness like the common cold. It can also be caused by exposure to smoke, chemical irritants, allergens such as pollen, mould, dust, pet dander, chemicals, and weather change. A cough, phlegm, and feeling tired are typical symptoms of bronchitis.
Difference between Asthma and Bronchitis
Although bronchitis and asthma are both related and both are lung disorders, they occur due to different reasons. While asthma occurs due to a mix of genetic and environmental factors and the precise reason for asthma is unknown, bronchitis develops due to a respiratory infection or an underlying health condition, such as an autoimmune disorder or cystic fibrosis. Asthma and bronchitis are also different on a cellular level. Asthma is linked to cells that are related to inflammation, whereas bronchitis is linked to cells that are involved in fighting infection.
Asthmatic Bronchitis
Bronchitis can happen even if one doesn’t have asthma but having asthma can increase one’s chances of developing bronchitis. Bronchitis that happens as a result of asthma is called Asthmatic Bronchitis. The two conditions are linked. Having asthma puts you at an increased risk of bronchitis as asthma constricts the air vessels in the lungs.
Symptoms of asthmatic bronchitis are a combination of the symptoms of bronchitis and asthma – shortness of breath, wheezing, cough, tightness in the chest, and excess production of mucous.
Treatment for asthmatic bronchitis includes taking medicines orally to open airways and help clear away mucus, inhaling medicines such as bronchodilators and steroids, humidifying the air, and quitting smoking.
