Facts About Acute Bronchitis

All over the world, many individuals are affected by respiratory diseases as a result of smoking, inhaling fumes or acquiring bacterial infection. Bronchitis is classified into two types : acute and chronic. Acute bronchitis is typically caused by bacterial infections or viruses that is responsible for swelling and inflammation of the bronchial tubes. Presently, some doctors are more likely to believe that fungus can be the main culprit for causing this disease rather than bacterial infection. When this happens, the airways are blocked making it hard for a person to breathe. The good news about acute bronchitis is that it can be possibly treated unlike chronic bronchitis which is irreversible. Plus, acute bronchitis occurs for a short period depending on the early detection that leads to effective treatment. Most of the time, it can end in a few weeks time while chronic bronchitis lasts for months or even years.

Acute bronchitis is more rampant among people with a weaker immune system who inhales the air that contains fungus, virus or bacteria. It’s also likely to be infected after touching the hands of people who have acute bronchitis. There is a higher incidence if you reside in areas near factories, prolonged inhalation of the smoke can cause acute bronchitis. For obvious reasons, smoking is the main reason behind most respiratory diseases. According to familydoctor website, individuals who have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can likely develop acute bronchitis when stomach acids reach the bronchial tree.

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Several symptoms of acute bronchitis are coughing, wheezing, slight fever, chest pain, and difficulty in breathing. Coughing is the body’s way of expelling mucus so it’s necessary to have productive cough to get rid of phlegm. Nevertheless, too much coughing can result to chest pain and wheezing. In some instances,dyspnea or difficulty in breathing is experienced after physical exertion. A health professional starts the consultation by inquiring about your medical background. Your last incidence with flu or colds would be helpful to recall.Later, certain laboratory tests like mucus and blood tests are needed. A chest x-ray and lung function tests can also aid the doctor in prescribing treatment. Typical treatment for acute bronchitis are cough medicines or inhalers to make breathing more easy.

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