Bronchitis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Lungs

Bronchitis

Lung anatomy

Bronchitis and Normal Condition in Tertiary Bronchus

Cause of Acute Bronchitis

Cause of Chronic Bronchitis

COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder)

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Bronchitis

Alternative Names:

Inflammation - bronchi

Symptoms:

The symptoms of either type of bronchitis include:

Cough that produces mucus; if yellow-green in color, you are more likely to have a bacterial infection
Shortness of breath worsened by exertion or mild activity
Wheezing
Fatigue
Fever -- usually low
Chest discomfort

Even after acute bronchitis has cleared, you may have a dry, nagging cough that lingers for several weeks.

Additional symptoms of chronic bronchitis include:

Frequent respiratory infections (such as colds or the flu)
Ankle, feet, and leg swelling
Blue-tinged lips from low levels of oxygen

Signs and tests:

Rales (abnormal sounds in the lungs) or other abnormal breathing sounds may be heard by your doctor on lung examination with a stethoscope.
Pulmonary (lung) function tests provide information useful for diagnosis and prognosis.
Pulse oximetry is a device connected to your finger that displays the amount of oxygen in your blood.
Arterial blood gas is a more exact (but more painful and invasive) measurement of oxygen and carbon dioxide levels.
Chest x-ray
Sputum samples may be taken, to check for evidence of inflammation or bacterial infection .

References:

Murray JF, Nadel JA. Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders; 2000; 1215-1216.

Macfarlane J, Holmes W, Gard P, Thornhill D, Macfarlane R, Hubbard R. Providing patient information reduces antibiotic use in acute bronchitis. Evidence-based Healthcare. 2002; 6(3): 130.

Radon K. Passive smoke exposure: a risk factor for chronic bronchitis and asthma in adults? Chest. 2002; 122(3): 1086-1090.

Review Date: 10/31/2005
Reviewed By: Frederic F. Little, M.D., Department of Allergy and Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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