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Understanding Bronchitis & Treating It

July 28, 2015

Overview of Bronchitis

The primary airways into the lungs are called bronchioles or bronchial tubes, when bacteria,a virus, or other irritant invade the bronchial tubes this may cause inflammation of the mucus membranes that line the bronchioles. When this occurs, the inflamed mucus membranes can begin to slowly swell; gradually narrowing the tiny passageways(bronchioles) into the lungs and making the airways obstructed, making it difficult to breathe, this infection is known as bronchitis.

There are basically two types of bronchitis, below are the delineations between the two:

Acute Bronchitis

Bronchitis is a common affliction and typically non- threatening in nature. It may be acute(acute bronchitis), meaning it comes on suddenly usually due to a respiratory infection andtypically is of short duration. Acute bronchitis most often resolves on it’s own without medical intervention or producing any long term effects or permanent damage, except perhaps a residual cough that may last for about a month or so. In most cases of acutebronchitis you will not need prescription medication, but may wish to utilize over the counter remedies for relief from some of it’s annoying symptoms.

If your acute bronchitis symptoms do not improve, or recur, you should contact your primary care physician or visit your local urgent care center as you may have a more serious infection or chronic bronchitis, for which you will need proper diagnosis and treatment from qualified medical professionals.

Chronic Bronchitis

Bronchitis may become chronic (chronic bronchitis) if it lasts for three months or more in a year, for two or more years consecutively. Chronic bronchitis typically presents itself with another pre-existing condition such as a bacterial respiratory infection, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or other underlying diseases. Chronic bronchitis is a long term disease that will require professional medical monitoring and treatment.

Chronic bronchitis is defined as one of the two main forms of COPD, the other being emphysema, both of which can be very serious, even life threatening diseases. People with chronic bronchitis are at a higher risk of contracting more serious respiratory related diseases that can lead to death such as pneumonia.

What are the Symptoms of Acute Bronchitis and Chronic Bronchitis?

Symptoms of Acute Bronchitis:

Sore throat
Persistent coughing with thick clear or dark colored mucus (especially at night)
Fever ( low grade) not above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
Difficulty breathing
Tightness in the chest
Wheezing sound in lungs when breathing

Symptoms of Chronic Bronchitis:

Chronic coughing that typically worsens at night
Shortness of breath
Fever and chills
Severe fatigue
Chest pain
Coughing up dark, greenish-gray, green, or blood streaked mucus
Wheezing sound from the lungs

When to Seek Medical Attention:

If you have a fever higher than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
Your bronchitis lasts more than 21 days
Have a cough that is producing blood or dark colored mucus
Keeps you awake all night and are unable rest comfortably
Have shortness of breath and difficulty breathing

How is Bronchitis Diagnosed?

Diagnosis of bronchitis may be multi-tiered, after thoroughly examining you and documenting your illness and its progression your physician may request further testing that may include one or more of the following:

Chest X-ray – Your health care provider may want a chest x-ray of your lungs to determine the origin of your chronic cough and/or to check for or rule out pneumonia.

Pulmonary Test – This test measures how much air you are able to inhale (lung capacity) and exhale it; it is often given to test for emphysema or symptoms of asthma.

Sputum Test – This test involves taking a sample of expelled mucus that you cough up for the purpose of laboratory testing. It may be cultured to find out which specific bacterium that your infection originates from so the proper antibiotic may be prescribed or it may be used for other laboratory tests such as to confirm or rule out other respiratory illnesses like whooping cough or fungal originated illnesses.

What is the Treatment for Bronchitis?

For acute bronchitis, most of the time there really is no treatment plan other than suggesting home remedies as therapy to assist with some of the discomfort associated with the common cold and/or bronchitis.

For Chronic bronchitis the treatment may vary depending on what the cause of your chronic bronchitis is and may include some or all of the following:

Antibiotics – If testing determines your bronchitis is of bacterial origin your health care provider may prescribe a specific antibiotic to eradicate the bacteria causing your infection. Viral infections do not respond to antibiotic treatment, so if a virus is the cause of your bronchitis NO antibiotics will be prescribed.

Cough Suppressant Medication (prescription) – Your health care provider may prescribe a cough suppressant at bed time if you are having trouble sleeping due to persistent coughing at night, but it should only be taken as directed to aid with sleeping as you do not want to inhibit coughing up the mucus that may be building up in your bronchioles and lungs.

Anti-inflammatory Medications or Therapies – If your bronchitis is caused by COPD, asthma, allergies, or other respiratory diseases your health care provider may prescribe prescription medication to reduce the swelling and inflammation in the mucus membranes of the bronchioles and lungs, prescribe inhaler treatment, or respiratory therapy.

In most cases bronchitis is easily treated and resolved; and may even be well managed in chronic bronchitis with proper diagnosis, treatment and prevention treatment plans. However, as with any illness, if you are not improving or your condition worsens you should contact your physician immediately or visit your local urgent care center.