Autumn 2022Get bronchitis off your chest

Autumn brings with it a fall in temperature and a rise in coughs, wheezes, and sneezes.

Sadly, the dying embers of a cold can morph into bronchitis, the first condition listed under the acronym COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder), which for one in twenty patients can then progress to pneumonia. There is also a chance that your lungs may become scarred, which may mean a hospital admission.

Bronchitis is typified by a hacking cough and the bringing up of mucus. The coughing can be so severe, it might even lead to a sore chest and tummy.

Bronchitis is usually an infection that enters the air passageways. Given that it is usually caused by a virus and not a bacterium, antibiotics won’t treat it. Rest, plenty of fluid and if you already have breathing problems, steroids, are the best way to beat bronchitis.

Covid has reminded us that keeping hands and surfaces clean curbs the spread of viruses. The best way to avoid any chest complaint is to stay off cigarettes. Yes, quitting is not easy; but it will make you breathe easier and is essential for long life.

Asthma is another potentially dangerous condition that can flare-up with plummeting temperatures. Colder air is one of the most common causes of irritated bronchial tubes and keeping your inhaler close at hand is imperative.

You have probably heard the word “norovirus” more frequently over the last few years. This causes stomach inflammation and regular vomiting and cramps. Bouts of this hyper-contagious virus begin in autumn and typically stretch throughout the winter. It is transmitted from person to person (though recent research has also claimed it is carried in seafood) and so those maxims around cleanliness apply again.

Weather change and indeed lower spirits mean that physical and mental health typically deteriorates during the autumn; but I see it as a season that prepares us for winter, and invites us to make every attempt to care for ourselves.

We all know that Covid has caused a backlog in appointments and so we must play an even bigger role in self-care, whether by getting our flu, Covid and pneumonia jabs or modifying our diet, increasing our exercise and giving-up the smoking.

That way we can all breathe a little easier this autumn.

About the writer
Dr Chauhan OBE is a respected GP, health and social care campaigner, and champion of social justice and charity.

As a local GP, he has become a powerful advocate for his patients and introduced innovative methods to improve their care.

His work mentoring and employing young people has won national recognition and he was awarded an OBE in 2020 for his creation of the Homeless-Friendly charity