Thursday, January 15, 2009

Diagnosis For Chronic Bronchitis

By Amy Cheung

Diagnosing chronic bronchitis can be particularly hard, owing to the fact that this condition shares a lot of symptoms with a range of diseases like pneumonia and emphysema. Throughout the examination your physician will ask you for a full medical history, plus request a full physical exam. The attending doctor will note down any symptoms that are upsetting you, and most likely ask about your smoking habits, because chain smoking is the principal trigger of this condition. If the results are revealed to be insubstantial, there are still a wide range of methods that may be carried out to confirm if a patient is suffering from this disease:

Pulmonary Function Testing a.k.a. PFT - PFT involves a series of respiratory exercises through a machine. The machine used in PFT calculates the airflow, as well as the level of oxygen that freely flows into your lungs. This is distinctly important in chronic bronchitis diagnosis because many people who experience chronic bronchitis complain of a gasping sensation, as well as labored breathing. This diagnostic method helps your physician to measure the condition of your lungs.

High Resolution Computer Tomography a.k.a. HRCT is a special type of Computed Tomography (CT) scan that can provide your doctor with a high resolution image of the lungs. This diagnostic step is done precisely like a CT scan, and commonly takes only a few minutes. These are more frequently performed on an open air, flat table.

X-Ray - X-Rays of the chest provides the doctor with a clear chronic bronchitis diagnosis, and allows for the ruling out of other possible causes of the symptoms.

In general, diagnosing chronic bronchitis is easy and painless. If you suspect that you have developed chronic bronchitis it is a good move to seek an appointment with your physician and get diagnosed. Avoid cigarette smoking and inhaling irritants either in your workplace or at home. If have been diagnosed with chronic bronchitis it is always a good idea to watch your diet, and start to exercise daily to ward off the symptoms of of chronic bronchitis.

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