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.
