All about Acute Bronchitis
All over the world, millions of individuals are affected by respiratory diseases usually caused by smoking, inhaling fumes or acquiring bacterial infection.
There are two kinds of bronchitis: acute and chronic.
Acute bronchitis is typically caused by bacterial infections or viruses that is responsible for swelling and inflammation of the bronchial tubes.
Nowadays, some doctors subscribe to the fact that fungus are more responsible for causing this disease rather than bacterial infection.
As a result, the airways are obstructed making it difficult for a person to breathe. If there's one positive thing about acute bronchitis,treatment is possible 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, recovery can begin in 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. You are likely to be infected after touching the hands of people who cough a lot.
There is a higher probability if you live in areas near factories, prolonged inhalation of the smoke can lead to acute bronchitis. For obvious reasons, smoking is the main reason behind most respiratory diseases.
According to familydoctor website, people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can possibly develop acute bronchitis when stomach acids reach the bronchial tree.
Some of the symptoms of acute bronchitis include are coughing, wheezing, low fever, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Coughing is the body’s way of expelling mucus so it’s necessary to have productive cough to get rid of phlegm.
However, too much coughing can also cause chest pain and wheezing. In some cases, dyspnea or shortness of breath 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.
