Symptoms of bronchitis

Written by Li Tao
Pulmonology
Updated on September 16, 2024
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Bronchitis refers to an inflammatory lesion of the bronchial mucosa caused by biological, physical, chemical stimuli, or allergies, among other factors. Bronchitis generally occurs sporadically without epidemic tendencies. It is more common in elderly and frail patients. The primary clinical symptoms include coughing and expectoration, often occurring in cold seasons or when there are significant changes in temperature. Clinically, bronchitis can present with fever in some patients. Initially, there may be a dry cough or a small amount of sputum, which can increase in volume over time. Some patients may experience worsening coughs occasionally accompanied by bloody sputum. The cough can persist for two to three weeks. If it persists, it can develop into chronic bronchitis or pneumonia, which should be taken seriously.

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Symptoms of bronchitis in children

Pediatric bronchitis is an infection of the bronchial mucosa caused by various pathogens. Clinical presentations commonly begin with symptoms of upper respiratory infection such as nasal congestion, sneezing, runny nose, or low-grade fever, followed by coughing as the main symptom. Initially, the cough is dry, later accompanied by phlegm. Symptoms can be more severe in infants and young children, often including fever, vomiting, and diarrhea, generally without systemic symptoms. Auscultation of the lungs reveals coarse breath sounds, with fixed and scattered dry rales, and medium to coarse moist rales. Infants and young children often have difficulty expelling phlegm, which may be audible in the throat and lungs as a rattling sound. If the infant or young child has wheezing bronchitis accompanied by eczema, or other allergic histories, they may develop pronounced symptoms of difficulty breathing, and may even progress to asthma.

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Can bronchitis be cured?

This still depends on the specific situation. If it is acute bronchitis, in most cases, the recovery is usually good after treatment and it can generally be cured. However, in some individual cases, such as elderly and frail patients or those who have not received timely treatment, symptoms may persist and develop into chronic bronchitis. If it is chronic bronchitis, treatment is relatively difficult and it's hard to completely cure. Patients often suffer from the condition every year, with episodes lasting more than three months, affecting the quality of their daily life.

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Can you drink alcohol with tracheitis and bronchitis?

Tracheitis and bronchitis are relatively common in clinical settings, typically categorized as lower respiratory tract infectious diseases. There are many inducing factors, so regardless of the type of tracheitis or its causes, patients generally experience symptoms such as coughing, expectoration, shortness of breath, wheezing, and even difficulty in breathing. Patients with these conditions should not drink alcohol and must avoid smoking. Alcohol, being a spicy and stimulating substance, can exacerbate clinical symptoms and hinder the inflammation control in patients with tracheitis and bronchitis, thus drinking is not advisable.

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Do bronchitis cough?

Bronchitis, a disease commonly seen in clinical settings, often causes symptoms of coughing, and some cases may present with paroxysmal spasmodic coughs. Some patients may also experience increased phlegm, leading to symptoms like spitting phlegm, difficulty breathing, sore throat, and chest pain as complications. Generally, a physical examination is needed, along with a chest X-ray, complete blood count, C-reactive protein, and other auxiliary tests for diagnosis. It is timely to choose the appropriate antimicrobial medication and cough suppressant and expectorant drugs for symptomatic treatment.

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How is bronchitis treated?

In clinical settings, bronchitis is treated in two main ways. The first approach includes general and symptomatic treatment. The second and most crucial approach is the use of sensitive antimicrobial drugs to kill the pathogens and provide anti-inflammatory treatment. Increased water intake and the use of antipyretic analgesic drugs for fever symptoms are recommended. It is necessary to identify whether the infection is bacterial, viral, or mycoplasmal, and to use sensitive antimicrobial drugs to kill the pathogens. Once the inflammation subsides, the symptoms caused by bronchitis will gradually diminish and fade away.