Acute bronchitis
Acute bronchitis | |
---|---|
Other names | Chest cold |
Frequency | ~5% one or more episodes a year[7][8] |
Acute bronchitis, also known as a chest cold, is short-term
In more than 90% of cases, the cause is a
Prevention is by not smoking and avoiding other lung irritants.
Acute bronchitis is one of the most common diseases.[3][13] About 5% of adults are affected and about 6% of children have at least one episode a year.[7][8] It occurs more often in the winter.[7] More than 10 million people in the United States visit a doctor each year for this condition with approximately 70% receiving antibiotics, most of which are not needed.[3] There are efforts to decrease the use of antibiotics in acute bronchitis.[13]
Signs and symptoms
The primary symptom is cough with sputum that may be purulent. The illness may also cause shortness of breath or wheezing. Upper respiratory tract infections (URTI's) often precede acute bronchitis, with overlapping symptoms including headache, nasal congestion, sore throat. About a third of patients will experience a fever, but fevers due to acute bronchitis rarely rise above 100 °F (37.8 °C) or last for longer than a few days.[14] As fever and other systemic symptoms are less common in acute bronchitis than in pneumonia, their presence raises suspicion for the latter,[15][16] especially high or persistent fevers.[14]
Cause
Acute bronchitis can be caused by contagious
- Damage caused by irritation of the airways leads to inflammation and leads to neutrophils infiltrating the lung tissue.
- Mucosal hypersecretion is promoted by a substance released by neutrophils.
- Further obstruction to the airways is caused by more goblet cells in the small airways. This is typical of chronic bronchitis.
- Although infection is not the reason or cause of chronic bronchitis, it is seen to aid in sustaining the bronchitis.
Diagnosis
A
Although there is no universally-accepted clinical definition for acute bronchitis, there is a proposed set of practical criteria (Macfarlane, 2001[19]) that include:
- An acute illness of less than three weeks.
- Cough as the predominant symptom.
- At least one other lower respiratory tract symptom, such as sputum production, wheezing, chest pain.
- No alternative explanation for the symptoms.
A variety of tests may be performed in people presenting with cough and shortness of breath:[20]
- A chest X-ray is useful to exclude pneumonia which is more common in those with a fever, fast heart rate, fast respiratory rate, or who are old.[7]
- A sputum sample showing neutrophil granulocytes (inflammatory white blood cells) and culture showing that has pathogenic microorganisms such as Streptococcus species.
- A blood test would indicate inflammation (as indicated by a raised white blood cell count and elevated C-reactive protein).
Decreased breath sounds,
Prevention
Prevention is by not smoking and avoiding other lung irritants.
Treatment
Most cases are self-limited and resolve themselves in a few weeks. Pain medications may help with symptoms.[23] Other recommendations may include rest and keeping well hydrated.[24]
Antibiotics
Evidence does not support the general use of antibiotics in acute bronchitis.[12] A systematic review found antibiotics reduced cough by an average of 12 hours (out of a total average of about 14–28 days). Antibiotics caused more side effects such as nausea and diarrhoea, and also may promote antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It is possible they are useful in susceptible groups such as the frail and elderly but there was not enough research information to determine this.[25]
Calling acute bronchitis with benign-sounding labels such as chest cold or viral infections may reduce antibiotic usage by improving patients satisfaction when antibiotics are not prescribed.[26]
Smoking cessation
To help the bronchial tree heal faster and not make bronchitis worse, smokers should quit smoking completely.[27]
Alternative therapeutic approaches
Salbutamol is not effective in children with an acute cough who do not have restricted airways.[28] There is weak evidence that salbutamol may be useful in adults with wheezing due to a restricted airway; however, it may result in nervousness, shakiness or a tremor.[1][28]
Prognosis
Acute bronchitis usually lasts a few days or weeks.[29] It may accompany or closely follow a cold or the flu, or may occur on its own. Bronchitis usually begins with a dry cough, including waking the patient at night. After a few days, it progresses to a wetter or productive cough, which may be accompanied by fever, fatigue, and headache. The fever, fatigue, and malaise may last only a few days, but the wet cough may last up to several weeks.[30]
Epidemiology
Acute bronchitis is one of the most common diseases.[3][13] About 5% of adults are affected and about 6% of children have at least one episode a year.[7][8] It occurs more often in the winter.[7]
In infants under one year of age, acute bronchitis was the most common reason for admission to the hospital after an emergency department visit in the US in 2011.[31]
References
- ^ PMID 21121518.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "What Is Bronchitis?". August 4, 2011. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ S2CID 37651935.
- ^ a b "How Is Bronchitis Diagnosed?". August 4, 2011. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "How Can Bronchitis Be Prevented?". August 4, 2011. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ a b "How Is Bronchitis Treated?". August 4, 2011. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ PMID 17108344.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link - ^ S2CID 46247982.
- ^ "What Causes Bronchitis?". August 4, 2011. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- PMID 28846312. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
- PMID 25420096.
- ^ PMID 28626858.
- ^ PMID 16428698.
- ^ PMID 27929206. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ^ PMID 17108344.
- ^ PMID 23319500.
- PMID 26636654.
- ^ "Diagnosis for Acute Bronchitis". The Lecturio Medical Concept Library. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- PMID 11209098.
- ^ "Test for Acute & Chronic Bronchitis". University of Utah Healthcare. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- S2CID 22341895.
- PMID 12917917.
- ^ "Diagnosing and treating acute bronchitis". American Lung Association. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
- ^ "Treatment for Acute bronchitis". The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- PMID 28626858.
- PMID 16322409.
- ^ "Lifestyle modifications For Acute bronchitis Patients". The Lecturio Medical Concept Library. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- ^ PMID 26333656.
- ^ "Bronchitis". Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. 2007-04-20. Archived from the original on 2008-03-25. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
- ^ "Symptoms Of Acute Bronchitis". The University of Utah. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- from the original on 2014-08-03.
External links
- Acute Bronchitis FamilyDoctor.org (American Academy of Family Physicians)
- "Acute Bronchitis". MedlinePlus. U.S. National Library of Medicine.