Exacerbations in chronic bronchitis.

Acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis.

Acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis are one of the major public health challenges. New data suggest that they will remain so for many years. Although the role of bacteria in the initiation and maintenance of bronchial inflammation, both during and between exacerbations, is well recognized, studies of the long-term effects of therapy are few and inadequate, and the nature of the relationsh...

Impact of Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Bronchitis

the broader category of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is characterized by a chronic, predominantly irreversible reduction in maximal airflow velocity. Chronic bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, and to a lesser extent bronchiectasis comprise the majority of COPD (Figure 1). Chronic bronchitis is a disease process identified clinically as the presence of a productive cough on mo...

Changes in bronchial inflammation during acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis.

There are little data describing noncellular changes in bronchial inflammation during exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. The relationship between sputum colour and airway inflammation at presentation has been assessed during an exacerbation in patients with chronic bronchitis and a primary care diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Sputum myeloperoxidase, neutrophil elastase, le...

IgG subclasses in smokers with chronic bronchitis and recurrent exacerbations.

BACKGROUND Tobacco smokers have lower serum levels of IgG than non-smokers. IgG subclass deficiency is common in patients with recurrent respiratory infections. Recurrent bronchial infections are common in smokers with chronic bronchitis (CB). We have investigated whether susceptibility to recurrent exacerbations in smokers with CB is associated with altered IgG subclass levels or IgG subclass ...

Antibiotics in acute bronchitis and exacerbations of chronic bronchitis: what is general practitioners' habit?