Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCommon CausesGeneticsCardiovascularLifestyle Risk FactorsFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Common Causes
Genetics
Cardiovascular
Lifestyle Risk Factors
Frequently Asked Questions
© Verywell, 2018
The inflammation of acute and chronic bronchitis prevents air from traveling in and out of the lungs efficiently. Air must travel through the bronchi before reaching the lungs. With bronchitis, these passageways are not clear and wide as they should be. Instead, the bronchi become filled with inflammatory material, which is primarily composed of a combination of immune cells and mucus.
The resulting bronchial obstruction is why people who have bronchitis may experience wheezing and shortness of breath.
A cough is the body’s attempt to rid itself of irritants in the respiratory system.
Acute Bronchitis
These can happen if you have an infection that lingers, if you have recurrent infections within a short period of time, or if your immune system is weak. Often there is no clear explanation for why a respiratory infection involves the bronchi, and having acute bronchitis does not mean that your immune system is weak.
Acute bronchitis may also occur if you have had single or recurrent short-term exposure to environmental inhalants, such as from fumes or chemicals that could trigger an inflammatory reaction.
Chronic Bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis develops over time. Often, bronchi become damaged when exposed to inhaled chemicals because the chemicals require passage through the bronchi. This produces an inflammatory reaction of the bronchi. Inflammation continues and builds up over time, resulting in the persistent presence of mucus, inflammatory cells, and possibly narrowing or stiffening.
Smoking, which irritates the bronchi, is the most common cause of chronic bronchitis, but long-term exposure to other inhalants can cause it as well. For example, people who breathe in toxic fumes at work can develop chronic bronchitis.
Acute bronchitis is typically not thought to cause chronic bronchitis. If you have chronic bronchitis, you may be more likely to experience exacerbation of your symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing or chest pain, when you have a respiratory infection. These symptoms would be more likely to linger than they would if you did not have chronic bronchitis.
In general, bronchitis is not considered a genetic condition, although there seems to be a weak genetic predisposition to developing acute and chronic bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis, in particular, seems to run in families.
It is not clear whether this is related to shared lifestyle factors,common environmental exposures, or an inborn susceptibility to bronchitis. Numerous studies have attempted to identify genes related to these conditions, but there is no definitive answer regarding a specific gene or inheritance pattern for bronchitis.
There are cardiovascular consequences of severe bronchitis. Cardiovascular disease does not cause bronchitis to develop. Cardiovascular conditions that are associated with shortness of breath, such asheart failure, can make the symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and even acute bronchitis, more disabling.
Congenital diseases of the heart or pulmonary system can, similarly, exacerbate some of the symptoms of bronchitis if bronchitis develops for other reasons.
There are a number of lifestyle factors that contribute to both chronic and acute bronchitis.
Chronic bronchitis is very strongly related to lifestyle factors.
Long-term repeated exposure to inhaled irritants, whether deliberate or due to circumstance, is the main risk factor of chronic bronchitis.
Acute bronchitis
Bronchitis occurs when the tissue that lines thebronchi, the tubes that lead to the lungs, becomes inflamed due to an infection or irritant such as cigarette smoke. This causes the airways to become inflamed and swollen. In response, cells in the lining of the bronchi producemucusto try to protect the airways. However, the accumulation of the mucus plus the swelling of the bronchi restricts the flow of air to and from the lungs.
Also known as sputum, phlegm is the mucus that accumulates in the airways. In addition to protecting the airways, phlegm traps bacteria and other substances to prevent them from reaching the lungs. Hairlike structures called cilia that line the airways move the phlegm toward the throat, which induces the coughing reflex.
The single underlying cause of both types of bronchitis is inflammation and swelling of the bronchi and accumulation of mucus in the lining of the bronchi, which together obstruct breathing. A viral or, less often, bacterial infection causes acute bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis results from repeated exposure to an irritant such ascigarette smoke.
Although cigarette smoking is the most common cause of chronic bronchitis, studies have shown a definitive link between air pollution and the persistent cough and mucus production characteristic of chronic bronchitis. Types of air pollution associated with chronic bronchitis include automobile fumes, power plant fumes, and indoor wood smoke.
Chronic bronchitis is most common among people who smoke—especially female smokers. For nonsmokers, the risk factors for chronic bronchitis are:Older ageExposure to air pollutants, including secondhand smokeLung disease that runs in the familyRespiratory disease as a childGastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Chronic bronchitis is most common among people who smoke—especially female smokers. For nonsmokers, the risk factors for chronic bronchitis are:
More than 95% of cases of acute bronchitis result from a viral infection. In people who have health conditions that make them especially vulnerable to infection, bacteria may be the cause.Viruse causes include Rhinovirus, Adenovirus, Influenza A or B, Parainfluenza, Respiratory syncytial virus, and Human metapneumovirus. Bacteria causes includeMycoplasma pneumoniae,Bordetella pertussis,andChlamydia pneumoniae.
More than 95% of cases of acute bronchitis result from a viral infection. In people who have health conditions that make them especially vulnerable to infection, bacteria may be the cause.
Viruse causes include Rhinovirus, Adenovirus, Influenza A or B, Parainfluenza, Respiratory syncytial virus, and Human metapneumovirus. Bacteria causes includeMycoplasma pneumoniae,Bordetella pertussis,andChlamydia pneumoniae.
How Bronchitis Is Diagnosed
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Bronchitis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Chest Cold (Acute Bronchitis).Bai L, Su X, Zhao D.Exposure to traffic-related air pollution and acute bronchitis in children: season and age as modifiers. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2018 May;72(5):426-433. doi:10.1136/jech-2017-209948Raju SV, Tate JH, Peacock SK.Impact of heterozygote CFTR mutations in COPD patients with chronic bronchitis. Respir Res. 2014 Feb 11;15:18. doi:10.1186/1465-9921-15-18Wedzicha JA, Brill SE, Allinson JP, Donaldson GC.Mechanisms and impact of the frequent exacerbator phenotype in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. BMC Med. 2013;11:181. doi:10.1186/1741-7015-11-181Pleasants RA, Riley IL, Mannino DM.Defining and targeting health disparities in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2016;11:2475-2496. doi:10.2147/COPD.S79077Singh A, Avula A, Zahn E.Acute Bronchitis. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.Fahy JV, Dickey BF.Airway mucus function and dysfunction.N Engl J Med. 2010;363(23):2233-2247. doi:10.1056/NEJMra0910061Cleveland Clinic.Wheezing.Salameh P, Salame J, Khayat G, et al.Exposure to outdoor air pollution and chronic bronchitis in adults: a case-control study.Int J Occup Environ Med. 2012;3(4):165-177.Merck Manual Professional Version.Acute bronchitis.
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Bronchitis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Chest Cold (Acute Bronchitis).Bai L, Su X, Zhao D.Exposure to traffic-related air pollution and acute bronchitis in children: season and age as modifiers. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2018 May;72(5):426-433. doi:10.1136/jech-2017-209948Raju SV, Tate JH, Peacock SK.Impact of heterozygote CFTR mutations in COPD patients with chronic bronchitis. Respir Res. 2014 Feb 11;15:18. doi:10.1186/1465-9921-15-18Wedzicha JA, Brill SE, Allinson JP, Donaldson GC.Mechanisms and impact of the frequent exacerbator phenotype in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. BMC Med. 2013;11:181. doi:10.1186/1741-7015-11-181Pleasants RA, Riley IL, Mannino DM.Defining and targeting health disparities in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2016;11:2475-2496. doi:10.2147/COPD.S79077Singh A, Avula A, Zahn E.Acute Bronchitis. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.Fahy JV, Dickey BF.Airway mucus function and dysfunction.N Engl J Med. 2010;363(23):2233-2247. doi:10.1056/NEJMra0910061Cleveland Clinic.Wheezing.Salameh P, Salame J, Khayat G, et al.Exposure to outdoor air pollution and chronic bronchitis in adults: a case-control study.Int J Occup Environ Med. 2012;3(4):165-177.Merck Manual Professional Version.Acute bronchitis.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Bronchitis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Chest Cold (Acute Bronchitis).Bai L, Su X, Zhao D.Exposure to traffic-related air pollution and acute bronchitis in children: season and age as modifiers. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2018 May;72(5):426-433. doi:10.1136/jech-2017-209948Raju SV, Tate JH, Peacock SK.Impact of heterozygote CFTR mutations in COPD patients with chronic bronchitis. Respir Res. 2014 Feb 11;15:18. doi:10.1186/1465-9921-15-18Wedzicha JA, Brill SE, Allinson JP, Donaldson GC.Mechanisms and impact of the frequent exacerbator phenotype in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. BMC Med. 2013;11:181. doi:10.1186/1741-7015-11-181Pleasants RA, Riley IL, Mannino DM.Defining and targeting health disparities in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2016;11:2475-2496. doi:10.2147/COPD.S79077Singh A, Avula A, Zahn E.Acute Bronchitis. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.Fahy JV, Dickey BF.Airway mucus function and dysfunction.N Engl J Med. 2010;363(23):2233-2247. doi:10.1056/NEJMra0910061Cleveland Clinic.Wheezing.Salameh P, Salame J, Khayat G, et al.Exposure to outdoor air pollution and chronic bronchitis in adults: a case-control study.Int J Occup Environ Med. 2012;3(4):165-177.Merck Manual Professional Version.Acute bronchitis.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Bronchitis.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Chest Cold (Acute Bronchitis).
Bai L, Su X, Zhao D.Exposure to traffic-related air pollution and acute bronchitis in children: season and age as modifiers. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2018 May;72(5):426-433. doi:10.1136/jech-2017-209948
Raju SV, Tate JH, Peacock SK.Impact of heterozygote CFTR mutations in COPD patients with chronic bronchitis. Respir Res. 2014 Feb 11;15:18. doi:10.1186/1465-9921-15-18
Wedzicha JA, Brill SE, Allinson JP, Donaldson GC.Mechanisms and impact of the frequent exacerbator phenotype in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. BMC Med. 2013;11:181. doi:10.1186/1741-7015-11-181
Pleasants RA, Riley IL, Mannino DM.Defining and targeting health disparities in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2016;11:2475-2496. doi:10.2147/COPD.S79077
Singh A, Avula A, Zahn E.Acute Bronchitis. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.
Fahy JV, Dickey BF.Airway mucus function and dysfunction.N Engl J Med. 2010;363(23):2233-2247. doi:10.1056/NEJMra0910061
Cleveland Clinic.Wheezing.
Salameh P, Salame J, Khayat G, et al.Exposure to outdoor air pollution and chronic bronchitis in adults: a case-control study.Int J Occup Environ Med. 2012;3(4):165-177.
Merck Manual Professional Version.Acute bronchitis.
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