Chronic bronchitis is an inflammation of the main airways in the lungs that continues for a long period or keeps coming back.
Alternative Names:
Bronchitis - chronic
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
Cigarette smoking is the main cause of chronic bronchitis. The more a person smokes, the more likely it becomes that the person will get bronchitis and that the bronchitis will be severe.
Secondhand smoke may also cause chronic bronchitis. Air pollution, infection, and allergies make chronic bronchitis worse.
To be diagnosed with chronic bronchitis, the cough and excessive mucus production must have occurred for 3 months or more in at least 2 consecutive years and not be due to any other disease or condition.
Review Date: 8/7/2006
Reviewed By: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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