BACKGROUND Previous studies on the relationship of chronic bronchitis to incident airflow limitation and all-cause mortality have provided conflicting results, with positive findings reported mainly by studies that included populations of young adults. This study sought to determine whether having chronic cough and sputum production in the absence of airflow limitation is associated with onset ...

The detection methods for infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) are reviewed. Advantages and disadvantages of available techniques of IBV detection by virus isolation, antigen or genome detection, and serology are discussed. Factors of influence on the level of success in detection of IBV after a disease outbreak are discussed, as are the possibilities and dangers of strain classification by protec...

The airways of COPD patients are often colonized with bacteria leading to increased airway inflammation. This study sought to determine whether systemic cytokine responses to microbial pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) are increased among subjects with severe COPD. In an observational cross-sectional study of COPD subjects, PAMP-induced cytokine responses were measured in whole blo...

The aims of this survey were to determine the prevalence of symptoms indicative of chronic bronchitis (CB) in the French adult population, to identify the role of risk factors for CB, and to assess rates of CB diagnosis and pulmonary function testing (PFT) in the presence of CB. A representative sample of 14,076 individuals aged > or = 25 yrs completed a self-administered questionnaire on sympt...

The distance covered in 12 minutes' walking was used to test exercise tolerance in chronic bronchitis. The distance covered bore a poor relation to the forced expiratory volume in 1 second but a significant relation to the forced vital capacity and the maximum oxygen consumption and ventilation on a bicycle ergometer. The test may be a simple practical guide to everyday disability in chronic br...

In order to clarify the possible role of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in the treatment of patients with chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), we have carried out a meta-analysis testing the available evidence that NAC treatment may be effective in preventing exacerbations of chronic bronchitis or COPD and evaluating whether there is a substantial difference between the ...

groups was hypertonicity of the bronchial wall, which was frequent in the asthmatics and absent in the chronic bronchitics. Mucus was scanty and viscous in the asthmatics and more abundant and watery in the chronic bronchitics. Hypersecretion of mucus occurred in both groups. In asthma the mucous hyperplasia affected chiefly the goblet cells. In chronic bronchitis the deeper bronchial glands we...