Bronchitis
Overview of Bronchitis
Causes of Bronchitis
Symptoms of Bronchitis
Diagnosis of Bronchitis
Treatment of Bronchitis
Precautions for Bronchitis
Overview of Bronchitis
Bronchitis is the medical condition during which the air passages within the lungs suffer from severe inflammation. This medical condition is characterized by coughing, chest tightness as well as shortness of breadth. Bronchitis can be of two types, namely, acute bronchitis and chronic bronchitis.
Causes of Bronchitis
Causes of Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis is characterized by severe cough with or without the production of sputum/mucus. This type of bronchitis is usually caused by virus. Generally, a person suffering from upper respiratory tract infection like cold
Symptoms of Bronchitis
Symptoms of Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis is characterized by a cough that is dry and hacking at first. After a couple of days, the cough may produce mucus. At times the patient may also suffer from fever with chills, muscle aches, nasal congestion, and
Incase of acute bronchitis, the symptoms explained above are indicative enough for diagnosis. However, at times the doctor may take a chest X-ray in order to make sure that it is not a case of pneumonia or other lung
Treatment for Bronchitis
Treatment for Bronchitis
The treatment of acute bronchitis begins at home itself. Almost 90% of acute bronchitis cases are caused by viral infection. As antibiotics do not cure viral infections, it is not advised for acute bronchitis. Instead only the
Precautions for Bronchitis
A person should take proper preventive measures in order to avoid bronchitis in the first place. Hands should be washed often especially during cold and flu season to prevent the spread of many of the germs that cause the condition. Smoking should be completely avoided. Even passive smoking induced by the presence of active smokers should also be avoided as much as possible. This is because even second hand smoking makes a person more susceptible to viral infections by increasing the congestion in the airway. Last but not the least the body should be given plenty of rest and the right nutrition to fight off any illness that might contact it.
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Written by: Healthplus24 team
Date last updated: July 06, 2011