9. Additional Risk Factors
While many ailments are contracted naturally, or for reason yet not understood, others can be viewed as being directly impacted by mitigating factors, such as toxins, the environment, deficiencies.
The following are a list of the most common risk factors associated with bronchitis:
• cigarette smoking;
• living or working in a toxic environment with air pollutants or airborne particulate matter;
• a poor diet which could result in a weakened immune system, or an eroding or weakening of the protective (epithelial) lining of the lungs;
• weakened immune system making the individual more vulnerable to infection such as occurs with the elderly, young children or HIV or candidiasis patients.