National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Chronic Bronchitis is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
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National Institutes of Health
Chronic Bronchitis
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchial tubes, the airways that carry air to your lungs. It causes a cough that often brings up mucus, as well as shortness of breath, wheezing, and chest tightness. There are two main types of bronchitis: acute and chronic.
Chronic bronchitis is one type of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). The inflamed bronchi produce a lot of mucus. This leads to cough and difficulty getting air in and out of the lungs. Cigarette smoking is the most common cause. Breathing in other fumes and dusts over a long period of time may also cause chronic bronchitis. Treatment will help your symptoms, but chronic bronchitis is a long-term condition that keeps coming back or never goes away completely.
NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
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Start Here
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Bronchitis(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
- Chronic Bronchitis(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
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Bronchitis
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Basics
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Learn More
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Multimedia & Cool Tools
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For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
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The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
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For You
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For group Reference Shelf
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Overviews
- Bronchitis (Chest Cold)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Chronic Bronchitis(National Jewish Health)
- Understanding Chronic Bronchitis(American Lung Association)
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Diagnosis/Symptoms
- Blood Gases Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
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Chest X Ray(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Cough(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
- Spirometry(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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What Are Lung Function Tests?(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Treatment
- How Is Bronchitis Treated?(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Rehabilitation/Recovery
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MedlinePlus: Pulmonary Rehabilitation(National Library of Medicine)
- Also available in Spanish
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MedlinePlus: Pulmonary Rehabilitation
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Disease Management
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Living with Chronic Bronchitis(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Living with Chronic Bronchitis
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Related Issues
- Frequently Asked Questions about COPD, Emphysema, and Bronchitis(InteliHealth, Harvard Medical School)
- Humidifiers: Air Moisture Eases Skin, Breathing Symptoms(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Anatomy/Physiology
- Atlas of Human Body: Respiratory System -- Structure Detail(American Medical Association)
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How the Lungs Work(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Bronchitis, Chronic(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Bronchitis, Chronic
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Mental health among adults with asthma and chronic bronchitis. A...
- Article: Gemifloxacin for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia and acute exacerbation...
- Article: Exposures to fine particulate air pollution and respiratory outcomes in...
- Chronic Bronchitis -- see more articles
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Organizations
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Statistics
- FastStats: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)(National Center for Health Statistics)
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Children
- Bronchitis and Pneumonia(California Childcare Health Program) - PDF
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Teenagers
- Bronchitis(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
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Patient Handouts
- Bronchitis
- Also available in Spanish
- Chest x-ray
- Also available in Spanish
- How to breathe when you are short of breath
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- Traveling with breathing problems
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- Using oxygen at home
- Also available in Spanish
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
Languages
Chronic Bronchitis - Multiple Languages