Bronchitis
Information
Bronchitis is usually caused by infectious agents such as bacteria or viruses.
It may also be caused by physical or chemical agents -- dusts,
allergens, strong fumes -- and those from chemical cleaning
compounds, or tobacco smoke. (Acute asthmatic
bronchitis may happen as the result of an asthma attack,
or it may be the cause of an asthma attack.) There
are usually acute and chronic bronchitis
symptoms.
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Acute bronchitis symptoms are usually a mild, and self-limiting
condition, with complete healing and return to function. It
may follow the common cold or other viral infections in the
upper respiratory tract. It may also occur in people with chronic sinusitis,
allergies, or those with enlarged tonsils and adenoids.
Bronchitis symptoms can be serious for people with pulmonary or cardiac
diseases and complications can include pneumonia.
So,
what are the common bronchitis symptoms?
The
following are the most common bronchitis symptoms. However,
each individual may experience bronchitis symptoms differently.
Symptoms may include:
- runny
nose
- malaise
- chills
- slight
fever
- back
and muscle pain
- sore
throat
- early
- dry, non-productive cough
- later
- abundant mucus-filled cough
The
symptoms may resemble other conditions or medical problems.
Consult your physician for a diagnosis.
How
are symptoms diagnosed?
Bronchitis is usually diagnosed by completing a medical
history and physical examination. Many tests may be ordered
to rule out other diseases, such as pneumonia or asthma. The
following tests may be ordered to help confirm a diagnosis.
- Test
1 - chest x-rays - diagnostic tests which uses invisible electromagnetic
energy beams to produce images of internal tissues, bones,
and organs onto film.
- Test
2 - blood tests - to analyze the amount of carbon dioxide
and oxygen in the blood.
- Test
3 - pulse oximetry - an oximeter is a small machine that measures
the amount of oxygen in the blood. To obtain this measurement,
a small sensor (like a Band-Aid) is taped onto a finger or
toe. When the machine is on, a small red light can be seen
in the sensor. The sensor is painless and the red light does
not get hot.
- Test
4 - cultures of nasal discharge.
- Test
5 - pulmonary function tests - diagnostic tests that help
to measure the lungs' ability to exchange oxygen and carbon
dioxide appropriately. The tests are usually performed with
special machines that a child must breathe into.
Treatment
for bronchitis :
Specific treatment for bronchitis will
be determined by your physician based on:
- your
age, overall health, and medical history
- extent
of the disease
- your
tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
- expectations
for the course of the disease
- your
opinion or preference
In
most cases, antibiotic
treatment is not necessary since most of the infections
are caused by viruses. Even people who have been coughing for longer than eight to ten days usually do not need antibiotics.
Most
of the treatment is supportive of the bronchitis , and
may include:
Antihistamines
should be avoided in most cases because they dry up the secretions
and can make the cough worse.
Another
excellent treatment for bronchitis is the latest treatment. This new
treatment is a natural
remedy and it simply involves three readily available plant
extracts and a mineral. This remedy seems to work by killing
the bacteria and viruses that cause infection in the lungs.
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