Bronchitis

[dn4192]

From my readings, it appears that to have bronchitis, you need to be a smoker.  Can non smokers have bronchitis?

[National Jewish]

Acute bronchitis is an irritation of the airways in the lungs.  It is usually caused by a bacterial or viral infection.  Symptoms generally include cough with mucus, chest discomfort, fever and extreme tiredness.
Chronic bronchitis is a cough with mucus that lasts for at least 3 months in a row 2 years in a row.  Most instances of chronic bronchitis are due to cigarette smoking.  For people with a family history of emphysema, they may get bronchitis from repeated exposure to high air pollution or from work exposures.  People with sinus problems or post-nasal drip may have a cough with mucus that can act like that seen with chronic bronchitis.

[starion]

Dear Friend,
Anyone can get bronchitis--you definitely don't have to have been a smoker or even been around lung irritants.  You can get more info about bronchitis by checking out http://nationaljewish.org/medfacts/uri.html
which explains colds and bronchitis.
Smokers sometimes get chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Aloha,
Starion