![]() Most cases of acute bronchitis go away without treatment within five days, although coughing usually lasts seven to 10 days. ![]() If your health care provider hears any suspicious lung sounds during the physical examination, or if your oxygen level is lower than normal, he or she may order a chest X-ray to check for pneumonia. The level of oxygen in your blood may be tested using a small device that closes gently over a finger. Your doctor also will listen to your chest with a stethoscope to try to detect sounds of wheezing and airways clogged with mucous. To diagnose acute bronchitis, your health care provider will ask about your medical history, especially whether you recently have had an upper respiratory infection. Other symptoms can include wheezing, chest tightness or pain, shortness of breath, sore throat, nasal congestion, fever and tiredness. ![]() The sputum may be clear, cloudy, brown, yellow or greenish. The cough can be dry or it can produce sputum, the mucus-like substance brought up from the lungs. The main symptom of acute bronchitis is a cough. Pneumonia shows up on a chest X-ray, but acute bronchitis usually does not.Ī respiratory virus causes about 90% of cases of acute bronchitis. Acute bronchitis does not affect the lungs like pneumonia does. The inflammation can be caused by an infection or by other factors that irritate the airways, such as cigarette smoking, allergies and exposure to fumes from some chemicals.Īcute bronchitis caused by an infection usually starts with an upper respiratory illness, such as the common cold or flu (influenza), that spreads from your nose and throat down into the airways. Acute bronchitis is an inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes, the hollow air passages that connect the lungs to the windpipe (trachea).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |