Contents:
- Medical Video: Understanding COPD
- Overview of asthma and bronchitis
- Asthma
- Bronchitis
- Differences in symptoms of asthma and bronchitis
- Asthma
- Bronchitis
- Treatment of asthma and bronchitis
- Asthma
- Bronchitis
Medical Video: Understanding COPD
Asthma and bronchitis are diseases that look similar but not the same. Both of them make the airways become inflamed, which swells so that the air is difficult to move into the lungs. As a result, less oxygen enters. This lack of oxygen ultimately causes symptoms of shortness of breath, coughing, and tightness in the chest. However, make no mistake, not all asthma symptoms are also a symptom of bronchitis. For more details, the following reviews regarding the differences in symptoms of asthma and bronchitis.
Overview of asthma and bronchitis
Before discussing more about the different symptoms of asthma and bronchitis, it's a good idea to first understand the fundamental differences between these two diseases.
Asthma
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease when the airways narrow and swell. As a result, the body secretes excess mucus that clogs the airways. Therefore, you have difficulty breathing, coughing, wheezing (breathing sounds like whistling or wheezing) bro), and tightness.
Experts do not know the exact cause of asthma. However, heredity and the environment can be one of the causes and triggers of asthma. This disease cannot be cured, but you can control the trigger so that it does not recur and attack suddenly.
In addition, airway constriction in asthma can be relieved again if given bronchodilator medication. Bronchodilators are drugs that can relax the muscles around the airways so they can open and dilate them.
Bronchitis
Bronchitis is an infection of the respiratory tract, precisely in the bronchi. This infection results in inflammation of the airways. According to the American College of Chest Physicians, less than 10 percent of bronchial cases are caused by bacterial infections. Bronchitis is divided into two, namely:
1. Acute bronchitis
Acute bronchitis is a short-term respiratory tract infection that usually lasts for several weeks and will return to normal when the infection heals.
2. Chronic bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis is a long-term airway infection that lasts for months to years and is more severe than acute bronchitis. In fact, this condition can cause permanent airway damage. Chronic bronchitis is also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Differences in symptoms of asthma and bronchitis
Symptoms of asthma and bronchitis are basically almost the same. It's just that there are several things that distinguish. Wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, and tightness in the chest are symptoms that are felt by both people with asthma and bronchitis. In addition, there are several other distinguishing symptoms, namely:
Asthma
- Attacks that are sudden and occur due to a series of triggers.
- Asthma symptoms can come and go.
- Symptoms will improve if given bronchodilator medication.
- Wheezing sounds often appear (breath sounds soft like whistling or bro).
Bronchitis
- Cough with or without phlegm. Usually the phlegm released is clear, greenish, and yellowish.
- Cough continuously.
- Cold.
- Low fever with a temperature of around 37.7 to 38.8 degrees Celsius.
- The body feels hot (cold).
- Pain throughout the body.
- Symptoms of bronchitis will persist as long as the infection is still in the body.
Treatment of asthma and bronchitis
Different symptoms and causes, also different types of treatment. The following are differences in the treatment of asthma and bronchitis.
Asthma
Asthma is usually treated by preventing the trigger. For example stress, allergies, and certain drugs. In addition, the doctor will also prescribe an inhaler to treat symptoms that appear suddenly.
The inhaler contains a bronchodilator to reduce the symptoms of tightness. While for long-term use that functions as preventing the occurrence of asthma (controller) Your doctor may give a corticosteroid inhaler.
Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis usually disappears on its own. Your doctor will advise you to rest a lot, drink plenty of fluids, and prescribe cough painkillers that don't stop.
While chronic bronchitis is usually treated with steroids to reduce inflammation, antibiotics, and bronchodilator drugs. This drug can also help clear the excess mucus production that clogs the airways.
