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Bronchitis is an inflammation of the lining in the bronchial tubes. This is the airways that connect the windpipe (trachea) to the lungs. The respiratory system is covered and protected by a mucus-producing lining. When a person contacts bronchitis, it is often painful and hard for air to pass through in and out of the lungs when breathing. Bronchitis is contagious and can be spread by direct or indirect contact.

There are two main types of bronchitis: Acute and Chronic
Acute Bronchitis
Acute Bronchitis comes quickly and can cause severe symptoms. This kind of bronchitis usually persists for 10 days. Acute bronchitis is most often caused by a virus that can infect the respiratory tract and attack the bronchial tubes. It usually develops from a severe cold. It can also follow or accompany by the flu or it may just begin without even an infection. In severe cases it may cause chest pain and malaise.
Chronic Bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis, on the other hand, can be mild to severe and is longer lasting. It can persist from several months to years. Suffers of chronic bronchitis are more susceptible to bacterial infections of the lungs and airway, like pneumonia. With chronic bronchitis the bronchial tubes continue to be inflamed and irritated over time. Most suffers of chronic bronchitis are smokers themselves or are people who are exposed to secondhand smoke.

Acute bronchitis is generally caused by lung infections; approximately 90% of these infections are viral in origin, 10% bacterial. Chronic bronchitis may be caused by one or several factors. Repeated attacks of acute bronchitis, which weaken and irritate bronchial airways over time, can result in chronic bronchitis. Industrial pollution is another culprit. The chief cause is heavy, long-term cigarette smoking, which irritates the bronchial tubes and causes them to produce excess mucus. The symptoms of chronic bronchitis are also worsened by high concentrations of sulfur dioxide and other pollutants in the atmosphere

The main sign of bronchitis is a cough that brings up yellowish-gray or green mucus (sputum). Mucus itself is normal. Your airways produce at least an ounce of normal secretions everyday.. It is when your bronchial tubes become inflamed and when large amounts of discolored mucus comes up when you cough.

Other symptoms of bronchitis may include:
?headache and generally feeling ill
?chills and fever (usually mild)
?shortness of breath
?soreness and a feeling of tightness or burning sensation in the chest
?wheezing (a whistling or hissing sound with breathing)
?overall malaise and slight fever

The tests include:
?Rales (abnormal sounds in the lungs) or other abnormal breathing sounds may be heard by an expert on lung examination with a stethoscope.
?Pulmonary (lung) function tests provide information useful for diagnosis and prognosis.
?Pulse oximetry is a device connected to your finger that tells the amount of oxygen in your blood.
?Arterial blood gas is a more exact (but more painful and invasive) measurement of oxygen and carbon dioxide levels.
?Chest x-ray.
?Sputum samples to check for evidence of inflammation or bacterial infection may be taken.

Pneumonia can develop from either acute or chronic bronchitis. If you have chronic bronchitis, you are susceptible to recurrent upper respiratory infections. You may also develop:
?Right-sided heart failure or cor pulmonale
?Emphysema
?Pulmonary hypertension