A bronchitis viral infection is a very common ailment and especially during colder months. There are several different types of bronchitis and each type is caused by different things. While almost anyone can suffer from a bronchitis viral infection certain people are more susceptible to this disease than others. You may be vulnerable to this disease if you are already suffering from some other type of respiratory infection or have low immunity to diseases in general.
Diagnosis
Bronchitis viral infection can be easily diagnosed by your doctor without many tests. A simple physical examination that includes listening for wheezing with a stethoscope and an overall evaluation of symptoms is all that is needed.
If your doctor needs to determine that it is indeed a bronchitis viral infection and not bronchitis caused by bacteria then a sample of sputum may be taken. Further tests may be needed if your doctor suspects that your bronchitis viral infection may actually be pneumonia. Chest x-rays are used to rule out pneumonia.
Treatment
Antibiotics are not prescribed for bronchitis viral infection as this type of medication will have no effect on bronchitis that is viral in nature. However some people may suffer from both viral and bacterial bronchitis at the same time.
If this is the case then your health care provider will need to prescribe you with antibiotics. Antibiotics may also be used when there are other lung diseases and lung infections. Chronic bronchitis such as asthmatic bronchitis may also be treated with antibiotics.
If you have a persistent cough even though the initial viral infection has passed then your doctor may want to prescribe an inhaler that has corticosteroids. This will help to reduce inflammation and can help ease a cough that shows no signs of abating.
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Opening up the airways is important when a person is suffering from a bronchitis viral infection. A number of things can be done to do this, the simple method of filling a bowl with hot water and inhaling the steam with a towel draped over the head is one method.
Steam vaporizers and cool mist humidifiers are also helpful to open up the airways. Bronchodilators may also be prescribed for this purpose though this method is a short term solution. The age old advice of plenty of rest and fluids is the best for a bronchitis viral infection that has just started. Follow the advice of your health care provider and maintain good hygiene.
