Bronchitis is when the walls of your bronchi, the tubes that carry air into and out of your lungs, become thickened and damaged. This makes it harder to breathe. You could have flare-ups of severe breathing problems (your doctor may call them exacerbation) from time to time.
Bronchitis is a long-term (or chronic) disease that gets worse over time. There’s no cure, but you can live with it for a long time. Your bronchial walls can slowly get thicker because of inflammation and infections.