Monday, January 5, 2009

Chronic Bronchitis with Acute Exacerbation

By Amy Cheung

Sometimes, for a person with chronic bronchitis, the symptoms will swiftly get worse unpredictably. This is called an acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, abbreviated as AECB. Most individuals that expire from a chronic form of bronchitis unexpectedly die while experiencing an attack of AECB, thus a person having sudden AECB should receive medical attention instantly to increase the patient's chances of survival.

What Occurs In An Attack of AECB?

Through a period of an AECB, the previously irregularly constricted air sacs in the lungs become even more constricted, and an increased amount of thicker mucous is secreted. The condition will result in a person's respiration to become particularly difficult. This may be accompanied by a fever, chills, as well as a sense of weakness in the knees. If the sudden AECB is caused by infectious bacteria, the mucus thrown up at expectoration can be accompanied by blood, or tinted with a brighter than normal yellow or green. If the person is experiencing fever, and has noticed blood in his/her mucus, there is a possibility the physician will require an x-ray to make certain that pneumonia is not the underlying root of the symptoms.

What Triggers AECB?

Cases of AECB are usually triggered by a combination of the following:

-Bacterial or viral infections (e.g. cold, flu)

-Air pollutants that aggravate the lungs (e.g. smoke, fumes, dust)

-Changes in weather

To stay clear of AECB, a patient with an acute form of bronchitis is advised to steer clear of areas with heavy air pollution, to obtain pneumonia and flu injections, as well as to maintain a healthy diet to protect one's immune system against infection causing agents.

If you are experiencing AECB, you must obtain medical care immediately. This condition has been observed to result in other conditions, as well as numerous cases are admitted to the hospital every year for complications from AECB. If you are suffering from this, try to stay calm. Breathe as steadily as possible, and levelheadedly call a physician or doctor for medical care. Since this condition can occur abruptly without preamble, it is strongly recommended to maintain any inhalants on you in emergency situations. Take care to ask your doctor, and confirm that such inhalers are okay to inhale during an attack of acute exacerbation, to prevent any complications. Try lying on your back with a humidifier running, or jumping in a lukewarm shower to improve your breathing and decrease the problems of AECB. - 14915

About the Author:

No comments: