Credit: Vlada Karpovich from Pexels
You likely know that cigarette smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, but cigarette use poses other threats to your lungs as well.
Smoking and bronchitis also go hand in hand. Smoking increases your risk of developing acute bronchitis and also makes recovery from it more difficult.
What is acute bronchitis?
Acute bronchitis, also known as a chest cold, is an inflammation of the airways leading from your nose and mouth to your lungs.
It spreads easily from person to person, most often from inhaling virus particles in the air or touching contaminated surfaces. Acute bronchitis can also develop when you breathe in a lung irritant, such as cigarette smoke, secondhand smoke, or air pollution.
When you have bronchitis, the cells inside the airway get infected. Your body fights this infection by causing swelling in the bronchial tubes—the tubes that allow air to go to and from the lungs as you breathe. The swelling may also cause the airways to narrow.
Acute bronchitis symptoms
Together, the inflammation, irritation, and swelling of the airways can cause bronchitis symptoms, including:
A cough, sometimes accompanied by mucus
Chest soreness
Fatigue
Mild headache or body aches
Shortness of breath
Sore throat
The impact of smoking on bronchitis
Smoking can damage the lungs’ small air sacs and the airways, increasing inflammation while decreasing immune function.
If you smoke, you’re at an increased risk for developing bronchitis because your airways—also known as the bronchial tree—may be damaged. That damage can make acute bronchitis last longer.
Vaping is also a lung irritant.
Diagnosis and treatment
A medical provider can usually diagnose acute bronchitis by simply listening to your cough and discussing your symptoms. In most cases, the bronchitis heals on its own within a few weeks. Your medical provider may suggest some of these treatments that can make you feel more comfortable as you heal:
Resting when you’re able
Getting plenty of fluids to thin mucus and loosen congestion
Taking cough medications, pain relievers, and mucus-loosening medications, as necessary
Using a humidifier to help loosen mucus and soothe irritation in the airways
Quitting smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke are the most important things you can do to improve acute bronchitis symptoms.
Provided by
University of Rochester Medical Center
Citation:
Smoking’s impact on bronchitis: Increased risk and prolonged recovery (2025, January 13)
retrieved 19 January 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-impact-bronchitis-prolonged-recovery.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
