About the disease
Acute bronchitis is an acute inflammation of the bronchi, which is contagious and can be passed through the air molecules or droplets, which a person can contract standing near the affected person. People with strong immune system are not likely to contract acute bronchitis after a short contact, although it can happen in rare cases. Bronchi are airways responsible for delivering air from the trachea to the lungs. If there is an inflammation, mucus starts to accumulate in the bronchi resulting in shortness of breath. Another common manifestation of an acute bronchitis is cough, low fever, which rarely exceeds 380C and shortness of breath. Acute bronchitis rarely lasts longer than 10 days, although a person may feel subsequent symptoms several days or even weeks after the acute phase has passed. The most common subsequent symptoms is coughing which can last weeks after the inflammation has passed. This is the way lungs and bronchi are recovering from an infection. According to American site Healthline, approximately 5% of adult population is diagnosed with acute bronchitis annually, which makes this condition a rather common pulmonary disease. If acute bronchitis has not been treated on time, a person can develop chronic bronchitis, which is usually more difficult to treat. Chronic bronchitis has more possible complications and side effects as well, that`s why itt is so important for people with acute bronchitis to stay at home for several days and to follow instructions of the doctor precisely. Acute bronchitis can be recurrent in people whose bronchi have tendency to accumulate mucus due to weather changes or exposure to certain allergens, such as dust or pollen. Such people should then be always aware of their tendency and follow simply restrictions to avoid new flare-ups in the course of their lifetime. Overall, 90% of all cases of acute bronchitis are caused by an infection.
Symptoms
- Coughing
- Sneezing
- Tightness in the chest
- Low fever
- Muscle ache
- Pain in the back in some cases
- Fatigue
- Sore throat
- Runny nose
Diagnosis
- During a general examination a doctor will listen to patient's lungs to determine if there is wheezing or any other sounds. A doctor will also measure the capacity of a patient to breathe fully, as breathing may be restricted if bronchi are inflamed.
- A chest X-ray is primarily used if there is a suspicion that a person may have pneumonia, as acute bronchitis and pneumonia very often have similar symptoms.
- A blood test is ordered to determine which infections have caused acute bronchitis and to determine if a person has other infections.
Treatment
- Conservative treatment is usually enough to treat acute bronchitis. A person is prescribed special antiviral and antiinflammatory drugs to fight the infection which caused acute bronchitis. Non steroidal drugs are also used to help patient alleviate the pain in the throat. Antibiotics are not prescribed in acute bronchitis, as they are designed to fight bacterial infection, not a viral one. A person also needs to drink plenty of water and stay at home for several days to completely fight off the infection.
Authors: Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova, Dr. Farrukh Ahmed
