General Information on Acute Bronchitis

Definition: Bronchitis is the inflammation (acute or cronic )of the trachea, bronchi. Acute bronchitis is caused by viral or bacterial infection and heal without complications. Adults that smoke develop chronic bronchitis that cannot be cured.

Description

Acute bronchitis appears mostly in the winter, more often caused by viral infection. Although the cough may persist longer acute bronchitis is solved in two weeks, acute bronchitis complication is pneumonia in children.

Demographics

Bronchitis affects predominantly pre-school and school age children, especially during winter time.

Cause and symptoms

Bronchitis begins with the symptoms of a cold, running nose, coughing, sneezing, fever of 102°F (38.8°C), greenish yellow sputum. In three to five days most of the symptoms disappear, but coughing may continue for some time. If the acute bronchitis is complicated with bacterial infection the fever and a general feeling of illness persists. The bacterial infection should be treated with antibiotics, if the cough doesn’t get away it may be asthma or pneumonia. In direct proportion with the stage of the disease acute bronchitis has those symptoms: dry, hacking, unproductive cough, runny nose, sore throat, back and other muscle pains, general malaise, headache, fever, chills.

Diagnosis

The doctor will listen to the child’s chest, if he hears moist rales, crackling, wheezing it means that the lung are inflammated and the airway is narrowing. Moist rales are caused by the fluid secretions in the bronchial tubes.

Sputum culture is indicated to be performed to put a correct diagnosis of the infection and to identify the most appropriate antibiotic. The patient is asked to spit in a cup and than the sample is grown in the laboratory to see which organisms are present. Sometimes the sputum may be collected using bronchoscopy, the patient is given a local anesthetic and the tube is passed through the airways to collect a sputum sample. Blood tests and x-rays are also recommended, the measuring of the oxygen and carbon dioxide are also important.

Treatment

Bronchitis may be treated by home care if it’s not complicated, resting, not smocking and drinking plenty of fluids, for fever you may take Tylenol, Panadol, Datril.
Cough suppressants may be used only when the cough is dry. Cough is useful because brings up extra mucus and irritants from the lungs and this way stops the mucus to accumulate in the airways and producing pneumonia bacteria. Tetracycline or ampicillin are used in the treatment of acute bronchitis, but good results have been obtained with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim or Septra) and azithromycin (Zithromax) and clarithromycin (Biaxin). In children acute bronchitis amoxicillin (Amoxil, Pentamox, Sumox, Trimox)is recommended, inhaler sprays to dilatate the bronchis and clear aut the mucus are also good. It is important to rest sufficiently, to eat well, avoid air pollution and irritants. Childrens wash their hands regularly and as a preventive measure they are artificially immunized against pneumonia.

More informations about asthmatic bronchitis or bronchitis symptoms can be found by visiting http://www.bronchitis-guide.com/