The Curious: What Bronchitis means?

What Is Bronchitis?
Bronchitis is a respiratory disease in which the mucus membrane in the lungs' bronchial passages becomes inflamed.
As the irritated membrane swells and grows thicker, it narrows or shuts off the tiny airways in the lungs, resulting in coughing spells that may be accompanied by phlegm and breathlessness.
The disease comes in two forms: acute(lasting from one to three weeks) and chronic (lasting at least 3 months of the year for two years in a row).
People with asthma may also have asthmatic bronchitis , inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes.
Acute bronchitis may be responsible for the hacking cough and phlegm production that sometime accompany an upper respiratory
infection. In most cases, the infection is viral in origin, but sometimes it's caused by bacteria.
If you are otherwise in good health, the mucus membrane should return to normal after you've recovered from the initial lung infection, which usually lasts for several days.
Chronic bronchitis is a serious long-term disorder that often requires regular medical treatment.

Source: Webmd