Bronchitis occurs when the bronchi of the person becomes inflamed and most commonly, filled with mucosecretions. Sounds so technical right? Simply put—the bronchi are the part of our upper respiratory tract which branches out to the left and right lungs. These bronchi are actually divided into several parts—the main bronchus (a single stem), the left and right bronchi (which divides into the left and right lungs), and also the bronchioles, the smaller forms of bronchi which connect with the alveoli—the area where the exchange of gases occur inside our lungs.

How Bronchitis Occurs?

Suffering from asthmatic bronchitis is a troublesome condition. Even just the presence of a single disease, i.e. asthma and bronchitis, is already difficult and irksome. Asthma and bronchitis may occur in separate instances. Asthma is simply the inflammation of the airways of the lungs… including the main bronchi, even up to the alveolar levels. Asthma is commonly caused by allergens, stress, anxiety, etc. Bronchitis, on the other hand is an occurrence when the bronchi becomes inflamed due to either a bacterial or viral infection. In either case, the person suffering will experience such difficulty in breathing and chest tightness. When a person suffers from asthma and chronic bronchitis frequently and exacerbation occurs more often than not, a person is said to have a disease called asthmatic bronchitis.

The respiratory system is one of the most vital systems in our body… it is composed of the lungs, the upper and lower airways and nose and its accessory structures. We make use of our respiratory system 24/7 with most of our respiratory functions being involuntary. Thus, it is one of the most “overused” and “abused” (for smokers) systems of all time. And since the airways (both upper and lower) are continuously exposed to the atmosphere—it is most prone to catching diseases and one of the most common airway related diseases is bronchitis.

What Is Bronchitis?