What is the difference between asthma and bronchitis

Asthma and bronchitis both have some symptoms and their manifestations are quite similar, so many people confuse them. But in fact, asthma is a common sudden illness in childhood or youth, and usually does not have the typical symptoms of chronic cough and sputum.

1. Asthma often develops suddenly in childhood or adolescence, usually without a history of chronic cough or sputum, and is characterized by paroxysmal asthma. During an attack, both lungs are filled with wheezing sounds, which may disappear after relief. There is often a personal or family history of allergic diseases. Asthmatic chronic bronchitis is more common in middle-aged and elderly people. Its main clinical manifestations are usually cough, sputum, wheezing and wheezing. The symptoms can be relieved after the infection is controlled, but wheezing can be heard in the lungs. Typical cases are not difficult to distinguish, but asthma complicated by chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema is difficult to distinguish.

2 Chronic bronchitis is more common in the elderly, but it can also be caused by factors such as weak people or those who are frequently exposed to certain irritating substances such as chemical gases, smoking, flying dust, and viral and bacterial infections. On the basis of chronic bronchitis, asthmatic bronchitis may develop, and on the basis of bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis may occur again. Simple chronic bronchitis is easy to distinguish from asthma: the former often coughs and coughs up mucus, and the purulent components of the sputum increase due to infection. During infection, there may be low fever, a slight increase in white blood cells and neutrophils, and scattered moist rales on auscultation. Chronic bronchitis combined with obstructive pulmonary emphysema is the most common type in clinical practice, and most of the patients are middle-aged or elderly.

3. In addition to the symptoms of chronic bronchitis, there are varying degrees of breathing difficulties depending on the severity of emphysema, especially in the cold winter season, with shortness of breath when moving and even shortness of breath and chest tightness when talking. During quiet breathing, the accessory muscles of respiration move significantly, there is difficulty breathing, and cyanosis of the lips and fingers is common. You should not work too much during the summer and autumn relief periods. Physical examination showed that the anteroposterior diameter of the chest was widened and barrel-shaped, the diaphragm was lowered, and respiratory movement was limited. The main points for identification are: a slight cough during the usual remission period, easy wheezing after walking, no obvious family and personal allergy history, no increase in eosinophils in blood and sputum, and no or only a small amount of Borrelia burgdorferi and Ratten crystals in sputum.