It does not include other obstructive diseases such as asthma. COPD, which is the fourth leading cause of death, claims the lives of 107,146 Americans annually. Other known causes are frequent lung infections and exposure to certain industrial pollutants. Chronic bronchitis is an inflammation and eventual scarring of the lining of the bronchial tubes. An estimated 8.9 million people were diagnosed with chronic bronchitis in 1998.
Females tend to have higher rates of chronic bronchitis than males.
Symptoms of chronic bronchitis include chronic cough, increased mucus, frequent clearing of the throat and shortness of breath. Emphysema causes irreversible lung damage. The walls between the air sacs within the lungs lose their ability to stretch and recoil. They become weakened and break. Elasticity of the lung tissue is lost, causing air to be trapped in the air sacs and impairing the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.