Chronic Bronchitis Signs and Symptoms

Chronic bronchitis usually starts as a mild morning cough that brings up phlegm, which is often mistaken by smokers to be a “normal” smoker’s cough. This cough then progresses to a cough that brings up more and more phlegm and persists longer and longer into the day. Other signs and symptoms that may show up in the early stages of chronic bronchitis include frequent headaches, runny / stuffy nose, and/or bad breath.

As chronic bronchitis progresses, more symptoms become apparent. Breathing may become more labored as more mucous is generated and obstructs airflow in the lungs. For the same reason, you may feel a tightness in your chest, you breathing may become faster, and wheezing may occur. Due to breathing difficulties, less oxygen is breathed into the body, causing the lips and/or skin to turn blue. You may feel tired more often.

As chronic bronchitis progresses into the advanced stage, you may start to experience chest pains. Your legs, ankles or feet may become swollen. You may have trouble sleeping, experience anxiety, and/or lose a lot of weight. Some people even cough up blood. As your lungs sustain increasingly more damage, your heart will be forced to work increasing harder, which may eventually lead to heart failure.

Other symptoms of chronic bronchitis may include mild fevers and frequent colds or flu.

Unfortunately, because some of the symptoms of chronic bronchitis are not severe, they are often neglected until the condition has reached a critical state. As with many other medical conditions, chronic bronchitis is easier to treat in its early stages. If left untreated, the symptoms will become more severe, and may develop into other respiratory conditions such as pneumonia and heart failure, which can be fatal.