Bad habits are called bad habits for a reason and should be eradicated from a person's everyday life. Smoking and alcohol have an extremely negative effect on every cell of the body, but no one wants to think about it, because at the moment a person is not worried about anything. Every person should know about the consequences of the negative effects of tobacco and alcohol, especially those who use these substances, emphasizes estet-portal.com. For example, a smoker with experience after 15-20 years of smoking will be able to get the "fruits of his bad habits" in the form of a persistent cough against the background of smoker's bronchitis.
Causes of smoker's bronchitis
Nicotine smoke contains about 96 toxic tars, constantly acting on the tissues with which they come into contact. These are the tissues of the respiratory tract, mainly the lungs. Many studies state that the effect of nicotine smoke is the same on both an active smoker and a passive one. When smoking a cigarette, solid-phase aggressive compounds are released, such as:
- nitric oxide,
- methane,
- hydrogen cyanide,
- hydrocyanic acid,
- ammonia,
- formaldehyde,
- carbon dioxide,
- nicotine,
- ketones,
- volatile nitrates and various resins.
Particulate matter from tobacco smoke settles on the surface of the alveoli.
Tobacco smoke can reach temperatures of 600C, causing burns to the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract.
For the development of smoker's bronchitis, in addition to the length of smoking, it is necessary to take into account the number of cigarettes smoked per day, agrees estet-portal.com. Process development accelerates:
- patient's advanced age,
- presence of frequent acute respiratory viral infections,
- intense physical activity,
- lack of proper rest and poor nutrition,
- ecology of the living environment,
- state of the immune system.
Negative changes in the tissues of the respiratory system in smoker's bronchitis
With the development of smoker's bronchitis, irreversible changes occur in the bronchi. Catarrhal inflammation develops, the epithelium changes its function and structure - the motor activity of the cilia of the ciliated epithelium decreases, their number decreases. Hyperplasia of the tracheobronchial glands occurs, after which there is increased production of mucus, which has increased viscosity and adhesion.
The draining function of the bronchi significantly weakens with the development of mucostasis in the future. The local reactivity of bronchial cells and alveolar macrophages is suppressed by the constant action of nicotine smoke. In this condition, the bronchi are very susceptible to secondary bacterial infection. The onset and development of smoker's bronchitis is slow and gradual.
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Symptoms and complications of smoker's bronchitis
Smoker's bronchitis manifestation begins with:
- morning cough accompanied by expectoration of thick sputum. With physical exertion, shortness of breath appears, climbing stairs becomes difficult and lengthy. Acute respiratory disease in such a patient has a very long course.
With constant inhalation of nicotine smoke, smoker's bronchitis progresses, which is manifested by paroxysmal coughing. A cough of this nature worries the patient at any time of the day, becoming more intense in damp and cold weather.
- sputum that is brown or gray in color, when a bacterial infection is attached, it changes to yellow-green with purulent streaks.
- shortness of breath that accompanies even small physical exertion - walking down the street. Smoker's bronchitis often worsens with fever, general malaise, and heavy sweating.
Complications and consequences of smoker's bronchitis
The long course of bronchitis of a smoker ends with a transition to COPD, in which bronchial patency is impaired. COPD is characterized by persistent hacking cough, persistent bouts of severe shortness of breath. The patient's breathing becomes wheezing. In this stage of the disease, the patient constantly feels a lack of air, exhalation becomes difficult, there is weakness, dizziness due to hypoxia, memory loss, drowsiness and mood swings.
Against the background of such a development of smoker's bronchitis, chronic respiratory failure is formed with the subsequent development:
- heart failure,
- arterial hypertension.
There are cases of a sharp development of smoker's bronchitis already in the first months of regular smoking.
Treatment of smoker's bronchitis
If a person continues to smoke, then any treatment for this disease does not make sense. Only giving up this bad habit and the necessary procedures will help you get rid of bronchitis.
As soon as you stop smoking, you think your cough situation has gotten worse, appears:
- increased cough,
- Profuse sputum.
However, this is a cleansing of the mucosa. Mucolytics, anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics are used for treatment.
Physiotherapy procedures are also not superfluous. Do not treat yourself in this case, seek help from a pulmonologist.
Have you managed to quit smoking, share it on estet-portal.com.
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