Bronchitis.

Chronic bronchitis is a disease of the lung. The lungs consist of a series of folded membranes (the alveoli) which are located at the ends of very fine branching air passages (bronchioles).

Chronic bronchitis is a persisting infection and inflammation of the larger airways of the lungs - the bronchi. There are two main bronchi in the lungs (the right and left) which divide from the trachea, as seen in the figure to the right. Chronic bronchitis occurs as part of the disease complex known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which also includes emphysema and small airways disease. Chronic bronchitis specifically refers to chronic cough and daily mucus production for at least three months of two or more consecutive years. Other causes of chronic cough must be excluded before making the diagnosis.


Chronic bronchitis is characterized by a chronic cough and chronic mucus production without another known cause (such as infection). Cells that line the airways in the lungs normally produce mucus as part of the bodies’ defense mechanism against bacteria, viruses, and other foreign particles. The mucus traps these particles and tiny hair-like projections in the airways (called cilia) sweep the dirty mucus up and out of the lungs.

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