Bronchitis: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment & Prevention

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July 25, 2022

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What is Bronchitis?

Bronchitis is the inflammation or swelling caused to the tubes carrying air to the lungs. Mainly there are two types of bronchitis - acute bronchitis, and chronic bronchitis.

Acute bronchitis – It is a condition caused by viral infection to the respiratory tract. Symptoms like coughing with mucus and breathlessness last for a few days and improve on its own without causing any major problems.
Chronic bronchitis – This keeps occurring frequently and makes your lungs vulnerable to bacterial infections. This can lead to serious conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung disorder that leads to shortness of breath.

Another classification of bronchitis is allergic bronchitis caused by an allergen like dust, pollen, or mold that triggers bronchitis Symptoms. Cigarette smoking can also cause allergic bronchitis.

Symptoms of Bronchitis

At times it is very difficult to differentiate between bronchitis and other breathing and lung Diseases because mostly all conditions start with bronchitis Symptoms like cold, running nose, sore throat, and cough. Symptoms of acute bronchitis are as follows:

Phlegm that is a clear, white, yellow, or green color
Sometimes low fever or no fever
Feeling chill
Soreness or tenderness in the chest while coughing
Rattling in the chest
Fatigue
Wheezing or whistling while breathing

Symptoms of chronic bronchitis are as follows:

Wheezing
Persistent cough with mucus
Body aches and headaches
Sinusitis and blocked nose
A feeling of discomfort in the chest
Stubborn cough for at least 3 months in a year with phlegm that is either clear or in white, yellow, green color.

Symptoms of allergic bronchitis are as follows: Besides frequent coughing, allergic bronchitis will have one or more of the symptoms of acute and chronic bronchitis in combination. If you experience a severe and on-going cough that disturbs your sleep which lasts more than a week, or if you notice traces of blood or mucous in the phlegm, it can be considered as Risk Factors of bronchitis and to be consulted with a bronchitis doctor without further delay.

Who is at Risk?

Bronchitis is a very common lung disorder. However certain aspects make some people more susceptible to bronchitis Risk Factors. Those are as follows:

Those who have a family history of lung Disease
Those who have childhood respiratory Disease history
People suffering from GERD (gastro-oesophageal reflux Disease)
Those who have the habit of smoking. Especially women who smoke are at higher risk compared to men.
Elderly people exposed to fumes and secondary smoke are more prone to chronic bronchitis.
Children younger than 2 years and between the age of 9-15 years are at the highest risk of acute bronchitis.
Those who suffer from respiratory disorder and asthma.
Those who are exposed to air pollution and work in farming, textiles, and coal mining are at Risk of allergic bronchitis.
Those with the weaker immune system.

Bronchitis Causes

As far as the Causes of bronchitis are concerned, it varies from person to person. However, when a bacteria, virus or allergen triggers an inflammation of the bronchial tube, it results in bronchitis. In acute bronchitis, a bacterial infection, viral infection, cold, flu, exposure to air pollution, smoke, dust, fumes, particles that irritate lungs, and chemical vapors can be considered as various bronchitis Causes. Chronic bronchitis Causes vary from genetic variants, recurrent attacks of acute bronchitis, having a history of respiratory illness and GERD, long term exposure to air pollution, pesticides, dust particles and fumes, and smoking can trigger this condition to a great extent.

How is Bronchitis Diagnosed?

To Diagnose bronchitis, a pulmonologist will examine you physically with a stethoscope to check for unusual sounds in the lungs and ask for your previous medical history and any associated Symptoms that have been noticed. The bronchitis Diagnosis also involves several laboratory tests for blood, and sputum to check for any infections. Also, a chest X-ray is advised to look for any abnormality in your bronchial tubes, and lungs to rule out the chances of pneumonia as a part of the bronchitis test. To confirm whether you have acute bronchitis or chronic bronchitis, doctors will prescribe the following tests that will help in choosing the appropriate bronchitis Treatment:

Examining for oxygen levels in the blood using a sensor that is connected with your toes or fingers.
Mucous test to rule out the chances of whooping cough, or pertussis.
Nasal swab test to check for bacterial or viral infection.
A lung function test using a spirometer to rule out the chances of having emphysema (a COPD condition in which air sacs present in the lungs are destroyed) and asthma by breathing into the device.
Blood tests to check the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood.

However, a person can consult a doctor immediately if they have an existing lung and heart condition, chest pain, or blood in mucous.

How is Bronchitis Treated?

Acute bronchitis will settle down on its own within a few weeks. However, you can consult a pulmonologist and practice the following to ease the condition with prescribed medicines.

Drink plenty of warm water that helps to thin out the mucus and makes it easy to cough it up and remove the mucus. Take at least 8-12 glasses.
Take rest
In case of fever and body pain, use the prescribed medicine
Take a hot water bath to loosen the mucus.
Steam inhalation or using a humidifier
The doctor will prescribe bronchitis medicine to loosen your mucus which they generally call as an expectorant.

Chronic bronchitis Treatment includes the following which targets to relieve you from Symptoms like:

Oxygen therapy to help you breathe better
Breathing exercises to ease breathing
Mucus clearing device to cough up easily.
Antibiotics, bronchodilators, and anti-inflammatory to open your airways.

Reaching out to qualified and experienced experts will ensure that you are in safe hands for undertaking the Treatment. Cult.fit is one of the leading wellness providers with their presence in multiple locations that will make your search for a pulmonologist for bronchitis cure a much simpler process. Firstly, go through the website and select a doctor of your choice. Next, reach out to them on WhatsApp to check the availability and book your appointment. Go through the secure and most convenient Treatment line to get well soon.

How can Bronchitis be Prevented?

Certain simple measures will help you lower the chances of acute bronchitis attack and the flare-up of chronic bronchitis. Those are as follows;

Quit the habit of smoking or stay away from cigarette smoke.
Get vaccinated for flu, as flu viruses can trigger bronchitis.
Get pertussis vaccine done on time.
Maintain personal hygiene like washing your hands frequently.
Wear a mask while going out and when you are exposed to fumes, chemicals, vapors, etc. that cause allergy to the lungs.

All the above-mentioned points will help in bronchitis Prevention when followed appropriately.

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