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Overview
Bronchitis either starts with a cold or gets triggered by an allergy. Usually it goes away in a few days with rest and additional fluids. If, however, the cough doesn't go away for more than three months, you might have chronic bronchitis.
Symptoms
The first sign that you may have bronchitis is if your cold moves into your chest. Your chest may feel sore. Then you may begin coughing. Along with the cough, you may bring up some mucus that is yellow or green. You will probably have a slight fever as well as chills.
Identification
To understand what is happening when a person gets bronchitis, you have to be familiar with the parts of the respiratory system. When you breathe air in, it travels to the lungs through the trachea. This is commonly called the windpipe and starts in the back of the throat. Once the air gets to the lungs, it moves through smaller tubes that are arranged like branches. These tubes are called bronchi. They connect to smaller passages, the bronchioles, which end in balloon-like alveoli. When a person has bronchitis, the bronchi are irritated and inflamed.
Types
Bronchitis can be assessed to be acute, chronic, asthmatic, or allergic. Acute bronchitis starts at the end of a cold and usually only lasts a few days. Chronic bronchitis lasts for more than three months. Both asthmatic bronchitis and allergic bronchitis are usually triggered by a respiratory allergy such as hay fever and also involves a diagnosis of asthma. People who smoke and people who are exposed to second hand smoke are more likely to contract bronchitis than people who live in smoke-free environments. Individuals who work around respiratory toxins and fumes are also more at risk to get bronchitis.
Treatment
The treatment for bronchitis involves some common sense procedures. Stay in bed, resting. Drink plenty of fluids. Don't smoke or be near people who are smoking. Keep your room warm and add moisture to the air in your room using a humidifier. Over the counter medications that contain acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help if you have a fever. If your cough is so severe that you cannot sleep, an over the counter cough medicine may also help.
Warning
If you get that kind of severe cough you should visit your doctor. You should also go to the doctor if you fever lasts for three days or if it is above 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, if you start to cough up blood or if you cannot breathe, get medical attention. If you suffer from pneumonia, a chronic heart condition, a chronic respiratory condition including chronic bronchitis, you should consult your doctor. The doctor may want to do a chest x-ray or test your sputum to rule out pneumonia, asthma, or emphysema.
