Par
Joel Nandjui
Published on
“I was diagnosed very young, at 5 years old. Danielle Gaultier has always lived with bronchi, this chronic pulmonary affection which affects the bronchi and which was notably reached by Pope Francis. At the age of 72, the retiree had, for years, to follow a treatment unsuitable for her pathology. “With symptoms close to certain current respiratory infections, Bronch is very often poorly diagnosed and poorly taken care of ”, regrets this resident of the 15th arrondissement of Paris.
Third disease affecting the most frequent respiratory tract after asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive bronchopneumopathy), it manifests itself by an accumulation of mucus in the bronchi and can cause respiratory complications. Chronic cough, recurring fever, intense fatigue, shortness of breath, thoracic pains are part symptoms with whom people with this pathology live on a daily basis. Even if the bronchitasis does not cure, following an adequate treatment allows you to live a normal life.
“About 350,000 people would be reached in France”
Since 2022, a world awareness day has been organized every July 1. Its objective is to make the bronchitasis better known, to encourage early diagnosis and to support efforts for more efficient management.
In France, this pathology remains little known, even if its prevalence is significant. Pierre-Régis Burgel, pulmonologist at the AP-HP and professor of respiratory medicine, explains: “Although no precise data is yet available, estimates based on data from certain other European countries suggest that about 350,000 people could be suffering from bronchitasis in France, including unsiagnosed cases. »»
Painful cough episodes
In her Parisian apartment, Danielle Gaultier remembers that, for many years, the only way at her disposal to calm her cough episodes was to practice drainage to clear her bronchi: “I very often had trouble breathing and this technique allowed me to breathe properly,” she testifies.
If, on a daily basis, chronic cough remained the main handicap of Danielle Gaultier, it happened to have periods when the effects of the disease exacerbated: “In these moments, I had significant episodes that forced me to take antibioticsShe recalls herself. In the souvenir department, the former director of hospitals remembers having, for years, in particular at school, to avoid any physical exercise.
Sixty years of medical wandering
The absence of a large crisis and acute symptoms will allow Danielle Gaultier to live an almost normal life. “Once a year, I had periods of fever,” she says. His life with the disease will follow this path for sixty years, until the day when we are diagnosed with pneumonia, a condition linked to bronchi. “I had two, and it was then that I decided, after research, to make an appointment at the pneumology department of Cochin hospital[14e]She explains.
This specialized service will completely change the care path of the retiree and help him better understand his illness. A series of examinations will be prescribed to him to try in particular to understand the origin of his bronchi.
Treatment for life
Immunitarians, genetic, causes can be varied and sometimes remain unknown, as in the case of Danielle Gaultier. It is only from her visit to this Parisian hospital that she will be prescribed for life treatment: daily inhalations, antibiotic treatment and weekly kine sessions to facilitate breathing.
“Since taking this treatment, cough has stopped and I have no more fever push periods,” she reveals. The danger for people with bronchitasis is to see their lungs damage and lose their respiratory capacity. To avoid being in this situation, Danielle Gaultier goes to Cochin every six months for follow -up. This semi-annual meeting allows doctors to check if it has not developed new infections.
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