RESPIRATORY DISEASES on American Men and Women

RESPIRATORY DISEASES

Chronic bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchial tubes. As the cells that line the tubes become irritated, they secrete excessive amounts of mucus, whereupon a chronic cough develops as part of the body's effort to get rid of the excess mucus and the irritants. 

The persistent deep coughing and the thick mucus make breathing difficult. Emphysema, which is often, associated with chronic bronchitis, involves loss of lung elasticity. As a result, the lungs are less able to expand and contract in normal fashion. Gradually, with progression of the disease, air sacs in the lungs are destroyed.

The lungs now are less able to obtain adequate amounts of oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide, causing the heart to work harder in the effort to circulate blood so as to get enough oxygen to body tissues. Heart failure is the most common immediate cause of death. Between 1945 and 1965, deaths from chronic bronchitis and emphysema in the United States shot up from 2,038 to 22,686-a more rapid increase than for any other cause of death. Lung cancer patients die relatively quickly. 

Those with chronic bronchitis and emphysema are disabled, partially or completely, for many years.

As one chest specialist has remarked: "I make my living taking care of patients with chest diseases. I agree about the seriousness of lung cancer but I want to add that the person who gets lung cancer from smoking is lucky in comparison to the patient who gets emphysema, because lung cancer is usually of short duration while patients with emphysema spend years of their lives gasping and struggling for breath."

Many factors can be involved in the development of bronchitis and emphysema: repeated infections, asthma, and air pollution. But cigarette smoking is more important, involving intensely polluted air. A 10-year British study shows that the death rate for bronchitis and emphysema is 6.8 times as high for those smoking 1 to 14 cigarettes a day as for those who do not smoke; 12.8 times as high for those smoking 15 to 24 cigarettes; 21.2 times as high for those smoking 25 or more.