Mr. Asthma

Question:

Can anyone direct me to information online or elsewhere concerning asthmatic bronchitis. Is this disorder seen now as a seperate disease or just a combination of asthma and bronchitis? Dennis Holland

Response:

> Can anyone direct me to information online or elsewhere concerning asthmatic > bronchitis. Is this disorder seen now as a seperate disease or just a > combination of asthma and bronchitis? > Dennis Holland

Asthma and bronchitis are 2 separate conditions, but they can coexist. There are 2 types of bronchitis; Acute bronchitis, which is a temporary condition often caused by a virus, and Chronic bronchitis, which is often the result of smoking. A bout of acute bronchitis can sometimes lead to adult-onset asthma. There are links on these subjects at the National Jewish Center site, www.njc.org http://www.njc.org/MSU/Comb_MSU_MF_Index.html NJC Med/Facts-Combined  Subject Index Also see: http://www.vh.org/Beyond/PeerReviews/31Bronchitis.html Virtual Hospital,  Bronchitis Ellis

Response:

> > Can anyone direct me to information online or elsewhere concerning asthmatic > bronchitis. Is this disorder seen now as a seperate disease or just a > combination of asthma and bronchitis? > Dennis Holland > Asthma and bronchitis are 2 separate conditions, but they can coexist. > There are 2 types of bronchitis; Acute bronchitis, which is a temporary > condition often caused by a virus, and Chronic bronchitis, which is > often the result of smoking. A bout of acute bronchitis can sometimes > lead to adult-onset asthma.

Let me just add a couple of things here. Bronchitis, as Ellis wrote can be acute and chronic. Both forms can co-exist in a patient who had developed asthma before he got bronchitis. On the other hand, acute bronchitis can lead to asthma and so can chronic. Although with chronic bronchitis, it happens much slower and over a period of a few year, if the condition isn’t treated properly. Chronic bronchits can result not only from smoking but from many other reasons such as smoking, occupational and environmental hazards (toxic chemicals), infection of any kind. Regards, — Andrey Zenovich University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA

Response: