My illness...

Bronchitis Overview

Bronchitis is an acute inflammation of the air passages within the lungs. It occurs when the trachea (windpipe) and the large and small bronchi (airways) within the lungs become inflamed because of infection or other causes.

• The thin mucous lining of these airways can become irritated and swollen.

• The cells that make up this lining may leak fluids in response to the inflammation.

• Coughing is a reflex that works to clear secretions from the lungs. Often the discomfort of a severe cough leads you to seek medical treatment.

• Both adults and children can get bronchitis. Symptoms are similar for both.

• Infants usually get bronchiolitis, which involves the smaller airways and causes symptoms similar to asthma.

Bacterial Pneumonia Overview

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. People with pneumonia usually complain of coughing, fever, shortness of breath, and chest pain.

• Your body's immune system usually keeps bacteria from infecting your lungs. In bacterial pneumonia, bacteria reproduce in your lungs, while your body tries to fight off the infection. This response to bacterial invaders is called inflammation.
  
  
• When the inflammation occurs in the alveoli (microscopic air sacs in the lungs), they fill with fluid. Your lungs become less elastic and cannot take oxygen into the blood or remove carbon dioxide from the blood as efficiently as usual.
  
  
• When the alveoli don't work efficiently, your lungs have to work harder to satisfy your body's need for oxygen. This causes the feeling of being short of breath, which is one of the most common symptoms of pneumonia. Inflammation causes many of the other symptoms, including fever and chest pain.
  
  
• Pneumonia can be very serious, because it directly interferes with your body's ability to exchange carbon dioxide and oxygen.
  
  
• Pneumonia is different in this way from acute bronchitis, which is another disease that can cause fever, cough, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Bronchitis is caused by inflammation in the air passages (called bronchi) leading to the alveoli, not the alveoli themselves. Sometimes it is very difficult, even for a doctor, to tell pneumonia and bronchitis apart. The symptoms and physical examination can be identical. Sometimes a chest x-ray is the only way to tell pneumonia and bronchitis apart.

All the above is for those people who are care and concerning what am suffering recently... sorry that i really don't how to explain in detail and why i got this every year.. am currently having both infections and under medication now. hopefully it can be under control in 7 days. or else i needed to have another CXR again!...i guess i can do filing for all my CXR report in folder..hahaha