Reviewed by medical experts • For informational purposes only
What causes bronchitis? Viruses behind acute bronchitis, smoking and biomass smoke behind chronic - plus the classical Kasa view.
Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi - the air tubes that carry air into your lungs. When they swell and fill with mucus, you cough. The causes split cleanly by whether the illness is short-lived (acute) or long-running (chronic).
Chronic bronchitis - a daily productive cough for at least 3 months a year, 2 years running - is one half of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Its causes:
The classics described Kasa (cough disorders) arising from aggravated Vata and Kapha obstructing the chest's channels, with causes that read remarkably modern: smoke (dhuma), dust (raja), dry and cold food, suppression of natural urges, and seasonal transitions. Madhava Nidana's Kasa chapter lists the same irritant-driven picture. The old observation holds: what you breathe day after day writes itself into your airways.
Acute bronchitis is a virus doing a short visit; chronic bronchitis is years of smoke (tobacco or cooking fire) doing slow damage. The fix differs accordingly: patience for the first, removal of the smoke for the second.
Written By
Dr. Daksh
BDS
Reviewed By
Dr. Varun Gupta
MD Pharmacology, MBBS
Last updated on
27 Sep 2022 • 06:23 PM (IST)
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