Definition of BRONCHITIS

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The bronchial tubes carry air into the tiny branches and smaller cells of the lungs. In bronchitis, the tubes become sore and you develop a deep cough. Bronchitis caused by bacteria can be treated with antibiotics, but there's no drug treatment for the more common kind caused by a virus. A bout of bronchitis may involve a couple of weeks of coughing (with no laughing allowed), weakness, and loss of energy and interest in doing things. Apart from that, bronchitis is rarely serious—at least if it doesn't progress to pneumonia.

Examples of bronchitis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The National Institutes of Health page lists bacteria, fungi, viruses, surface injuries like scrapes and punctures, and the group of inflammatory conditions that includes cystitis, bronchitis, dermatitis, and more. — Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, "Why Our Bodies Have Gotten Colder with Each Passing Decade," 9 Jan. 2020 Increases in doctor visits or hospital treatment for respiratory infections, bronchitis and pneumonia in otherwise healthy people also have been found during and after wildfires. — NBC News, "Australian wildfire smoke stokes health fears in cities," 15 Jan. 2020 Are these scientists suggesting that the entire population was walking around with bronchitis every day, enough to change the population’s body temperature? — Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, "Why Our Bodies Have Gotten Colder with Each Passing Decade," 9 Jan. 2020 Breathing heavily polluted air can have a number of negative health effects, including minor irritations like coughing and sneezing in the short term, to chronic bronchitis and lung cancer for those who suffer long-term exposure. — USA TODAY, "The best air purifiers of 2019," 18 Oct. 2019 Often promoted as a healthier alternative to smoking, vaping increases the chances of developing chronic pulmonary diseases like emphysema, asthma and bronchitis by 30%, the report said. — Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY, "'It's 100 percent not safe': Vaping increases risk of chronic lung disease by 30%, according to new study," 17 Dec. 2019 By 2016, investigators found people who used e-cigarettes were 30 percent more likely to have developed a chronic lung disease, including asthma, bronchitis and emphysema, than nonusers. — NBC News, "E-cigarettes linked to lung problems, first long-term study on vaping finds," 16 Dec. 2019 For the purposes of the study, Glantz and his co-author combined four conditions—chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthma—into one respiratory disease umbrella. — Jamie Ducharme, Time, "Vaping Damages Your Lungs, But Is Still Safer Than Smoking, a Long-Term Study Suggests," 16 Dec. 2019 When inhaled, the exhaust can cause lung damage and aggravate conditions like asthma and bronchitis, especially among children. — BostonGlobe.com, "Excessive idling by Encore Boston Harbor shuttles sparks lawsuit threat," 13 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bronchitis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.