LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Bronchitis: Smokers
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According to the American Lung Association, around 14 million Americans have chronic bronchitis. Between 80% and 90% of these people are smokers. Because symptoms progress slowly, most people diagnosed with chronic bronchitis are middle-aged and older.
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In chronic bronchitis, there are flare-ups every winter, and often at other times. Cough with sputum production occurs on most days for at least three months of the year. Chronic bronchitis is virtually confined to cigarette smokers.
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The main way to treat chronic bronchitis is to avoid the irritant that is causing the illness. For allergy-induced bronchitis, this means removing the allergens from the home or work environment. For smokers, this means quitting smoking.
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If you are a smoker and come down with acute bronchitis, it will be much harder for you to recover. Even one puff on a cigarette is enough to cause temporary paralysis of the tiny hair like structures in your lungs, called cilia, that are responsible for brushing out debris, irritants, and excess mucus.
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Some people — almost always adults who smoke or children who live with smokers — suffer from bronchitis symptoms for months at a time. This is called chronic bronchitis (as opposed to infectious or acute bronchitis), and it's one excellent reason to keep cigarettes out of your house.
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