The trachea, or windpipe, divides into two bronchi. It is the bronchi that have the responsibility of carrying air into and out of the lungs. The immune system fights against infections in the respiratory tract through the cough reflex, the mucus that traps foreign substances and the hairlike cilia that push the mucus and substances out of the airway. Even so, the bronchi can become diseased.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics can be used to treat bacterial infections. Physicians prescribe antibiotics based upon the bacteria causing the infection. Bronchiectasis is a bronchial disease where the bronchi are destroyed because of frequent bacterial infections, as explained by Joshua Benditt, M.D., the Director of Respiratory Care Medicine at the University of Washington Medical Center in "The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals." Physicians treat bronchiectasis with antibiotics.
Beta-Adrenergic MDIs
A beta-adrenergic dose inhaler delivers metered doses of beta-adrenergic agonist medication. This type of inhaler is a treatment for acute bronchitis, or inflammation of the bronchi airways, writes David Smith, M.D., of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Scott and White Hospital and Clinic in "Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Emergency Medicine." Beta-adrenergic agonist medication stimulates certain proteins on cell membranes to make the bronchi airways enlarge. These inhalers also can be used to treat asthma.
Anti-Cholinergics
Anti-cholinergics are a treatment for bronchitis and asthma. Compared to beta-adrenergic agonist medications, they take a little longer to take effect, but they last longer, writes Mark Chesnutt, M.D., Chief of Critical Care at the Portland V.A. Medical Center in "Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment." They are called anti-cholinergic because they work against the acetylcholine receptors, which are proteins on cell membranes. By blocking these receptors, the bronchi airways open.
Mast Cell Mediator Inhibitors
Mast cells are special cells that release substances that increase inflammation, increase the production and secretion of mucus, and make the bronchi airways smaller. They release these substances when they discover a foreign substance or injured issue. In "Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment," Dr. Chesnutt writes that mast cell mediator inhibitors interfere with the release of these substances from the mast cells. This medication fights inflammation, decreases the amount of mucus and will not let the airways get smaller.
Corticosteroids
According to Dr. Chesnutt, corticosteroids are effective and powerful anti-inflammatory medications used to treat asthma, a bronchial disease that involves inflammation of the bronchi airways. Corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory because they decrease the number of proteins involved in inflammation and the number of white blood cells that travel to the injured tissue. In addition, they help keep airways open.
References
- "Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Emergency Medicine"; C. Keith Stone, M.D., Roger Humphries, M.D.; 2008
- "Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2011"; Stephen McPhee, M.D., Maxine Papadakis, M.D.; 2011
- The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals: Bronchiectasis
- "Basic & Clinical Pharmacology"; Bertram Katzung, M.D., Ph.D., Susan Masters, Ph.D. et al.; 2009
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Asthma -- Overview
