Chronic bronchitis. Managing the disease and related infections.

Chronic bronchitis is characterized by chronic, productive cough present on most days for at least three months of the year. Differential diagnosis must exclude an endobronchial obstructive lesion, asthma, nocturnal aspiration, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, and immotile cilia syndrome. The most characteristic finding in patients with chronic bronchitis is hypertrophy of the mucous glands and goblet cells.