Chronic bronchitis

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Sections available in full article Introduction, Presenting signs, Acute presentation, Age predisposition, Breed predisposition, Special risks (e.g. anesthetic), Pathogenesis, Etiology, Predisposing factors, Pathophysiology, Timecourse (incubation, duration), Diagnosis, Presenting problems, Client history, Clinical signs, Diagnostic investigation, Confirmation of diagnosis, Gross autopsy findings, Histopathology findings, Differential diagnosis, Treatment, Initial symptomatic treatment, Subsequent management, Prevention, Control, Sequelae, Prognosis, Expected response to treatment, Reasons for treatment failure, Sources, Publications, Vetstream contributor(s),
Contributors Dr Philip K Nicholls BVSc BSc PhD MRCVS FRCPath
Dr Elizabeth Rozanski DVM DACVIM DACVECC

Introduction

  • Cause : chronic bronchial inflammation associated with mucus hypersecretion.
  • Signs : coughing for at least 2 of the last 12 months.
  • Diagnosis : signs, radiography, bronchial wash analysis.
  • Treatment : symptomatic.
  • Prognosis : relapsing course due to irreversible airway changes.

Diagnosis

Clinical signs

  • Cough (hacking/gagging).
  • Mucus swallowed after cough.
  • Frothy saliva produced after gagging/retching.
  • Increased airway sounds - crackles and wheezes .
  • Expiratory dyspnea.
  • Cachexia and debility.
  • Recurrent bouts of bronchopneumonia or bacterial bronchitis.
  • Tachypnea, dyspnea.

Diagnosis

Differential diagnosis

  • Bronchial asthma  Allergic bronchitis  .
  • Undiagnosed airway foreign body  Trachea: foreign body  .
  • Bronchopneumonia  Pneumonia  .
  • Pulmonary edema  Lung: pulmonary edema  /heart failure  Congestive heart failure  .
  • Pleural effusion  Pleural effusion  .
  • Bronchiectasis .
  • Lung worms Capillaria  Capillaria aerophilia  and Aelurostrongylus  Aelurostrongylus disease   Aelurostrongylus abstrusus  .
  • Bronchial neoplasia  Lung: pulmonary neoplasia  .

Sequelae

Prognosis

  • Depends on initial response to treatment.
  • Good: short- and medium-term if signs controlled by treatment; later will become unresponsive.
  • Hopeless: fatal or require euthanasia on humane grounds if poor response to treatment.

Expected response to treatment

  • Control of signs, but airway changes are irreversible and usually progressive   →   signs worsen   →   more severe and difficult to control bouts of bacterial chest infections   →   deteriorating quality of life.

Reasons for treatment failure

  • Inability to control secondary infections.
  • Standard reasons  Standard reasons for failure in a treatment  .

Sources

Publications

Refereed papers

  • Moses B L & Spalding G I (1985)Chronic bronchial disease in the cat.Vet Clin North Am15, 922.

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