This can be acute or chronic.
• Essentially bronchitis means inflammation of the breathing tubes of the lungs.
Acute bronchitis is characterized by cough and sometimes difficulty breathing.
• This occurs during an attack of an acute viral illness such as the common cold or influenza.
• Bacteria are rarely implicated. Therfore, antibiotics may not work.
• Viruses cause the majority of the cases.
• However development of acute bronchitis in patients with chronic lung diseases such as COPD may cause severe illness requiring hospitalization.
Chronic Bronchits is a type of COPD and is characterized by cough that lasts 3 months or more per year for at least 2 years. This is mostly seen in smokers.