Who Is At Risk for Bronchitis?
Bronchitis is a very common condition. Millions of
cases occur every year.
Elderly people, infants, and young children are at
higher risk for acute bronchitis than people in other age groups. People of all
ages can get chronic bronchitis, but it occurs more often in people who are
older than 45. Women are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with chronic
bronchitis as men.
Smoking and having an existing lung disease greatly
increase your risk for bronchitis. Contact with chemical fumes, vapors, and
dusts from certain jobssuch as those in coal mining, textile
manufacturing, and grain handlingalso increases your risk for the
condition.
Air pollution, infections, and allergies can worsen
the symptoms of chronic bronchitis, especially if you smoke. |