Chronic Bronchitis Definition and Clinical Features
📌 Chronic Bronchitis is a type of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) defined clinically by a persistent cough producing sputum for at least three months in two consecutive years.
👨‍⚕️ It is frequently observed in smokers, with approximately 70% of males aged 60-65 being affected.
🤧 Key clinical presentation involves a persistent cough and excessive mucus secretion.

Pathogenesis and Airway Changes
🔬 Environmental irritants (like smoke or pollutants) cause irritation and inflammation, leading to hypertrophy of the mucus-secreting glands in the tracheobronchial tree.
💨 This irritation also increases the number of mucus-secreting cells in the bronchial epithelium, resulting in increased mucus production and subsequent cough.
⚙️ A secondary change involves the goblet cells in the smaller airways (bronchioles) increasing in number, contributing further to obstruction.

Histopathology and Diagnostic Features
🔍 Microscopically, the pathology shows inflammation characterized by the presence of neutrophils, lymphocytes, plasma cells, and macrophages in the airways.
📏 Diagnosis is supported by an increased Reid Index, which measures the ratio of the thickness of the mucous gland layer to the total wall thickness of the bronchi.
🌬️ Airway changes include hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the glands, leading to narrowing (reduction) of the airway lumen, often filled with fluid and mucus plugs.

Complications and Management
🚨 If combined with emphysema (forming COPD), airway obstruction can become severe, leading to potential complications like hyperlipidemia, polycythemia, and cor pulmonale.
💊 Treatment involves anti-inflammatory drugs (like steroids, inhaled or systemic) and symptomatic management for the cough and excess secretions.
💨 Oxygen therapy may be required if the patient develops significant hypoxemia or ventilatory failure.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ The clinical diagnosis of Chronic Bronchitis requires coughing up sputum for two consecutive years, three months per year (productive cough).
➡️ Pathogenesis centers on irritation leading to glandular hypertrophy and increased mucus production in the larger airways, while smaller airways show goblet cell hyperplasia.
➡️ The Reid Index is a crucial diagnostic tool used to quantify the degree of mucous gland enlargement relative to the bronchial wall thickness.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Jan 17, 2026, 13:17 UTC