How is bronchitis transmitted? Bronchitis is contagious or not? Ways of transmission of bronchitis

How is bronchitis transmitted? Let's look at this in more detail. Bronchitis is a disease of the respiratory system, in which an inflammatory process occurs in the bronchi and affects the entire thickness of their walls or mucous membrane.

More about the disease

This disease can be both independent and secondary, that is, as a consequence of the transmitted infections and chronic diseases. Bronchitis is acute and chronic. His symptoms are fever and cough. Is acute bronchitis transmitted?

Bronchi are a kind of tubular branching in the lungs that conduct inhaled air from the upper parts of the respiratory system to the lower ones. During this disease, air circulation and gas exchange are violated, as a result of which the edema of the bronchial tubes develops and the mucus production begins.

The disease lasts from several weeks to several months and can be a complication of SARS or influenza.

Bronchitis is on the list of the most common diseases worldwide.

Consider how the bronchitis is transmitted.

Symptoms of pathology

The main symptom of bronchitis of the most diverse forms is the cough reflex. In the first days of the development of this disease, cough can be very dry and intrusive. It can cause vomiting in children, as well as restless sleep. However, with the development of the inflammatory process in the bronchi, sputum is produced, which has a yellowish or greenish color, and the cough becomes moist. The color of sputum indicates that bacterial infection has joined the virus infection. Such a cough is not so painful for the patient, because when the sputum is separated, the bronchus lumen is released and the respiratory process becomes easier.

Is bronchitis contagious or not? This is a common question.

Attachment of bacterial infection is due to the fact that in the lungs of a patient with bronchitis stagnation occurs due to the fact that oxygen can not enter the inflamed tissues in sufficient quantity. Thus, active propagation of pathogens takes place in these areas.

Cough usually persists for two to three weeks, but if this process is delayed for a longer period, it may be a symptom of the development of a chronic form of the disease, and is a consequence of a weakening of the body's immune functions.

Acute form of

Symptoms of acute bronchitis can also be a sharp increase in temperature, headache, weakness and dizziness.

In chronic bronchitis cough is dry, deep, in some cases there is a large amount of sputum, especially in the morning. This form of the disease is characterized by periods of remission and exacerbation caused, as a rule, by acute respiratory viral infection, hypothermia, etc.

Is bronchitis transmitted by airborne droplets? About this further.

Obstructive bronchitis

This type of disease is characterized by the fact that the bronchial mucosa is not only inflamed, but also damaged. The vascular wall becomes thicker, the tissues swell, and narrow the lumen of the bronchi. This greatly complicates the process of breathing, prevents the excretion of phlegm, increases the risk of developing pneumonia.

Infectious bronchitis or not

This question is of interest to many, as it often happens that people are forced to be near patients in public places, at work or in educational institutions. In order to answer this question, it is necessary to understand what is the cause of this disease, and if the pathogen is a virus or a bacterium, then what is the route of the disease transmission.

Factors causing bronchitis

As a rule, the primary cause of bronchitis are a variety of viral and bacterial infections that require appropriate antiviral and antibacterial treatment.

The cause of bronchitis are more than 300 viruses and about 100 different microorganisms. However, the most common of these are those that cause flu and ARVI, and, as a consequence, acute bronchitis.

These viruses and bacteria include:

• rhinovirus;
• adenovirus;
• mycoplasma;
• chlamydia;
• PC virus;
• cytomegalovirus;
• parainfluenza virus type III;
• pneumocysts, etc.

The routes of infection with bronchitis are presented below.

In an overwhelming number of diseases, these microorganisms act in combination with each other, which explains such a variety of symptoms of the so-called common cold, as people commonly call flu and ARVI symptoms.

In addition to viruses, the causative agent of bronchitis are bacterial infections, such as hemophilia, streptococci, staphylococci, gram-negative bacteria and pneumococci. In this regard, treatment of bronchitis should have an antibacterial basis.

People who for a long time are in contact with coal dust, household chemicals, various toxic substances, and also abusing smoking, are exposed to non-infectious bronchitis. How is this type of bronchitis transmitted?

This type of bronchitis is not contagious, unlike those caused by the above infections.

Thus, bronchitis, having a bacteriological or viral nature, is dangerous for the environment of the patient, as the viruses can be transmitted from person to person by airborne droplets, and bacteria - by the household, when pathogens get sick on the mucous membranes of a healthy person.

Routes of bronchitis transmission

Frequent stresses, reduced immunity, vitamin deficiency, hypothermia, nicotine dependence are the main causes that increase the likelihood of getting ARI and influenza. Viruses and bacteria that enter the bronchi of a person and cause their inflammation, also suppress their protective functions, resulting in inflammation of the bronchial mucosa and the formation of a large amount of secret called sputum. But how is bronchitis transmitted?

With the help of reflexes such as coughing and sneezing, the body tries to clear the respiratory tract of excess mucus, thereby providing a protective function of the body. This is a natural process of fighting the disease, but it causes negative consequences for the surrounding people. During sneezing and cough pathogenic microorganisms get into the air and into everyday objects, which leads to the fact that the infection spreads outward. They linger in the airways of other people, and also cause the development of their bronchitis and accompanying symptoms.

The immune system can immediately suppress the multiplication of microbes in the body only when the human body is not weakened and has enough capacity to deal with such environmental influences. This is the answer to the question of whether bronchitis is transmitted by airborne droplets.

How to protect yourself from infection

In order to reduce the risk of infection with this disease, it is recommended:

• Limit visits to public places, especially during flu epidemics and ARVI.
• Wear a special medical mask to prevent pathogens and germs from getting into the respiratory tract, but if there is no such mask, you can simply cover your nose and mouth with a clean handkerchief or gauze dressing.
• Wash hands thoroughly with soap and other basic hygiene practices.
• Carry out hardening procedures, which significantly increases the body's immune defenses.
• In autumn and winter, take vitamins, and eat a large amount of fresh fruits and vegetables containing vitamin C.
• Avoid contact with patients with bronchitis and ARVI, and in cases where such contact occurred, rinse the nose and mouth with saline solution,take an antiviral.

Consider medicines for the prevention of bronchitis.

First of all, these are the antiviral agents Grippferon, Alfarona, Interferon, Viferon, Kipferon. Then immunostimulating medications "Ingavir", "Kagotsel", "Tsikloferon", "Lavomax", "Citovir".You can also take antibacterial drugs for 5-7 days, but not always it is advisable. In any case, you need to get a specialist consultation.