Word parts
What it means
Swelling and irritation of the lining of the bronchi. Acute bronchitis usually follows a cold or other viral infection and gets better in a few weeks; the main symptom is a cough, often with mucus. Chronic bronchitis is a long-lasting form, most often from smoking: a cough with mucus for at least three months a year, two years in a row. It is one of the diseases grouped as COPDsee-oh-pee-dee (said as letters)Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a long-term lung disease that makes it hard to move air out of the lungs.chronic long-lastingobstructive blockingpulmon/o lung-ary relating toFull entry .
For the nurse
Listen to lung sounds, note the color and amount of sputum, and check oxygen saturation. Encourage fluids to thin secretions, and teach coughing and deep breathing. For chronic bronchitis, support the client to stop smoking.
In a chart
"Productive cough with thick white sputum for 5 days; scattered rhonchi that clear with coughing."
At a glance
| Spanish | bronquitis |
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Related terms
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a long-term lung disease that makes it hard to move air out of the lungs.
-itis
A word ending that means inflammation.
emphysema
A long-term lung disease in which the walls of the tiny air sacs are damaged and lose their stretch.
airway
The passages that carry air into and out of the lungs, from the nose and mouth to the smallest air tubes.
cough
A sudden, forceful burst of air from the lungs that clears the airways.