Acute Bronchitis
(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.
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:
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.
Last reviewed February 2021 by EBSCO Medical Review Board David L. Horn, MD, FACP Last Updated: 2/2/2021