by Scholten A
(Bronchitis, Acute; Lower Respiratory Tract Infection, Chest Cold)

Definition

Acute bronchitis is a short-term lung infection. Airways leading to the lungs become inflamed and make more phlegm than normal. This causes severe coughing.

Bronchi of Lungs
lungs and bronchioles
Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.

Causes

Viruses are the most common cause of acute bronchitis. Bacteria can also cause it, but this is not as common.

Risk Factors

Things that raise the risk are:

  • Having a cold or the flu
  • Being around others who are sick
  • Smoking, or being near others who smoke
  • Having allergies or asthma
  • Working with certain substances that can cause irritation of airways such as:
    • Ammonia
    • Chlorine
    • Minerals
    • Dusts from farming
  • Having a weak immune system

Symptoms

Acute bronchitis can cause:

  • Coughing
  • Breathing problems
  • Wheezing
  • Slight fever
  • Sore throat
  • Stuffy nose

Diagnosis

The doctor will ask about your symptoms and past health. A physical exam may be done. Diagnosis is often based on symptoms.

Treatment

An infection caused by a virus will usually go away on its own within a week. The cough can last for up to a month.

The goal of treatment is to ease symptoms. It includes:

  • Drinking more fluids
  • Resting
  • Medicines to lower fever and manage coughing
  • Inhalers to open airways and ease breathing

An infection caused by bacteria will also need antibiotics.

Prevention

The risk of acute bronchitis can be lowered by:

  • Washing hands often
  • Staying away from sick people
  • Not smoking

RESOURCES

American Lung Association  http://www.lung.org 

Family Doctor—American Academy of Family Physicians  https://familydoctor.org 

CANADIAN RESOURCES

The College of Family Physicians of Canada  http://www.cfpc.ca 

The Lung Association  https://www.lung.ca 

References

About antibiotic use and resistance. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/community/about/index.html. Accessed February 2, 2021.

Acute bronchitis. American Academy of Family Physicians Family Doctor website. Available at: https://familydoctor.org/condition/acute-bronchitis. . Accessed February 2, 2021.

Acute bronchitis. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/condition/acute-bronchitis. Accessed February 2, 2021.

Smith SM, Fahey T, Smucny J, Becker LA. Antibiotics for acute bronchitis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;6:CD000245.

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