What are the symptoms and treatment of chronic bronchitis?

The symptoms of chronic bronchitis are shortness of breath, a squeaking sound in the patient's throat, and phlegm. The treatment of chronic bronchitis mainly focuses on expectorant, antitussive, antispasmodic and antiasthmatic drugs, and antibiotics should not be used.

1

Control infection: Patients’ condition often worsens due to respiratory tract infections, and they must be given anti-infection treatment in a timely manner. Use drugs alone or in combination, intravenously or orally, usually 7 to 10 days as a course of treatment. For severe infections, penicillin G, ampicillin or cephalosporin can be given by injection. After the condition improves, oral antibiotics can be used to consolidate treatment, and erythromycin can be used as an option.

2

Expectorant and antitussive drugs: While applying anti-infection treatment, expectorants and antitussive drugs must be given to improve symptoms such as cough and sputum. Commonly used medicines include ammonium chloride mixture, bromhexine, etc., or symptomatic Chinese patent medicines such as fresh bamboo juice, snake gall and Fritillaria cirrhosa liquid. For the elderly and weak, those who are unable to cough up sputum or those with a large amount of sputum, the main treatment should be expectoration, and strong antitussive drugs such as codeine should be used with caution or avoided, so as to avoid respiratory center depression, aggravation of respiratory obstruction or complications that may lead to worsening of the condition.

3

Antispasmodics and antiasthmatics: If the patient has severe wheezing, antispasmodics and antiasthmatics such as aminophylline and broliconide can be used; those with reversible obstruction should routinely use bronchodilators such as ipratropium bromide and other aerosol inhalation treatments, which are beneficial for clearing sputum and improving symptoms. If the airway is still blocked after using bronchodilators, prednisone, dexamethasone, etc. can be used. In addition, there are some precautions when using these drugs that need to be taken seriously.

4

Do not use hormones lightly: Hormones are quite effective in relieving bronchospasm, but they have side effects such as reducing immunity and causing dependence. They should only be used under the guidance of a doctor when the attack is severe and general antibiotics are not effective.

5

Antibiotics cannot be used for a long time: the course of oral antibiotics is 5 to 7 days. In life, many elderly patients with chronic bronchitis often use antibiotics inappropriately without asking whether their condition requires it, which makes their condition increasingly difficult to treat. When do patients with chronic bronchitis need to use antibiotics? Clinical experience tells us that antibiotics are only needed if the sputum is yellow or grass green, or the body temperature rises, the white blood cell count increases in laboratory tests, and inflammatory shadows are found in chest X-rays.