Acute bronchitis

• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• X
• Y
• Z

Bronchitis	Bronchitis and Normal Condition in Tertiary Bronchus	Lung anatomy	Lungs
Respiratory system

Bronchitis - acute

• Cough
  • Stays steady or gets increasingly worse for 10 days to 2 weeks
  • Worse at night
  • Starts out dry and irritating, but becomes increasing loose over time
  • May cough up mucus. (Younger kids usually can't cough this up; they swallow it.)
  • In very rare cases, patients may cough up blood (blood streaked sputum). See a doctor if this happens.
  • Lasts for less than 6-8 weeks
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing
• "Rattle" sensation in chest
• General ill feeling (malaise )
• Slight fever
• Tickle feeling in back of throat that leads to soreness
• Chest pain , soreness, and constricted feeling in the chest
• Poor sleep
• Chills (uncommon)

A diagnosis of acute bronchitis is made by reviewing a patient's current health and medical history. A physical examination and chest x-ray help rule out the presence of pneumonia.

Review Date: 07/05/2005
Reviewed By: John Goldenring, M.D., MPH, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, San Diego, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.