Short answers, pulled from the story.
Charles Badham named acute bronchitis in 1808. He published a book titled Observations on the inflammatory affections of the mucous membrane of the bronchiæ that distinguished between acute and chronic forms of the disease.
More than 90% of all acute bronchitis cases are caused by viral invaders such as rhinovirus, adenovirus, and influenza. These viruses travel through the air on the breath of a coughing stranger and typically begin their assault in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses before migrating to the bronchi.
Chronic bronchitis is defined by a productive cough that produces sputum lasting for three months or more per year for at least two consecutive years. This standard has remained largely unchanged since the mid-20th century.
A meeting organized by CIBA in 1959 and a subsequent meeting of the American Thoracic Society in 1962 defined chronic bronchitis as a component of COPD. These terms have not changed to this day.
Plastic bronchitis is a rare manifestation where thickened secretions plug the bronchi to form rubbery, plastic-feeling plugs known as bronchial casts. This condition usually occurs in children and may be associated with abnormalities in the lymphatic vessels or congenital heart disease.
9.3 million people were diagnosed with chronic bronchitis in the United States in 2018. The disease tends to affect men more often than women and is more common in individuals over 45 years of age.