To learn more about COPD, talk to your doctor. There are medications , breathing techniques , and lifestyle changes that can help you breathe easier. Both chronic bronchitis and emphysema are long-term conditions. Both make it hard to breathe. Both cause shortness of breath, tiredness, and coughing.
Many people experience short-term bronchitis when they have a very bad cold.
In chronic bronchitis, this condition lasts for months at a time, and each year it lasts longer. Chronic bronchitis often develops in people over age 40 who are or who used to be moderate to heavy smokers. Typically, people who develop chronic bronchitis have a smoking history of over 10 pack-years. In chronic bronchitis, they have been constantly irritated by inhaled cigarette smoke, air pollution, or other harmful substances. When the bronchial tubes have been irritated for years, their walls thicken or swell.