Acute bronchitis – it is the inflammation of the bronchial tubes. This inflammation is due to infection caused by bacteria or viruses. The common symptoms seen in acute bronchitis are fever (low grade), productive cough- due to secretion of the mucus, wheezing, pain in chest, shortness of breath.
Chronic bronchitis – it is also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Chronic bronchitis is defined as chronic cough with expectoration for three months two consecutive years. The two most etiological (causative) factors responsible for majority of cases of chronic bronchitis are smoking and atmospheric pollution, others being occupation, infections, family and genetic factors.
