Overview
Bronchitis happens when the bronchial tubes become inflamed. This can lead to swelling, extra mucus, and coughing. Acute bronchitis usually lasts days to a few weeks, while chronic bronchitis is a long-term form that is often linked with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also called COPD.
Key Symptoms
The most common symptom is a cough, which may bring up clear, white, yellow, or green mucus. Other symptoms can include tiredness, mild fever, sore throat, wheezing, chest discomfort, and shortness of breath. Symptoms of acute bronchitis often improve gradually, but the cough can last longer than other symptoms.
Causes and Risk Factors
Acute bronchitis is often caused by viruses that also cause colds and flu. Chronic bronchitis is strongly linked to smoking, but long-term exposure to secondhand smoke, dust, fumes, indoor smoke from cooking or heating, and air pollution can also play a role. Risk may be higher in people with asthma, allergies, weakened immune systems, or repeated exposure to lung irritants.
Who Is Affected
Bronchitis can affect children and adults around the world. Acute bronchitis is common, especially during seasons when respiratory infections spread more easily. Chronic bronchitis is more common in adults, especially people who smoke or have had long-term exposure to polluted air or workplace irritants.
Prevention
Reducing exposure to tobacco smoke is one of the most important ways to lower risk. Handwashing, covering coughs, improving indoor air quality, and reducing exposure to dust and fumes may also help. Vaccination against influenza and COVID-19, when recommended in your area, can help lower the chance of some infections that may trigger bronchitis symptoms.
Diagnosis and Tests
A healthcare professional often diagnoses bronchitis by asking about symptoms and listening to the chest. They may ask how long the cough has lasted and whether you have fever, breathing trouble, or blood in the mucus. In some cases, tests such as a chest X-ray, pulse oximetry, or lung function testing may be used to check for pneumonia, asthma, COPD, or other causes of cough.
Treatment Categories
Treatment depends on the cause and whether the bronchitis is acute or chronic. Supportive care may include rest, fluids, and other measures recommended by a healthcare professional to ease symptoms. Chronic bronchitis may need longer-term management, including avoiding smoke and irritants and treatment for underlying lung disease if present.
When to Seek Medical Care
Seek medical care if a cough lasts more than a few weeks, keeps coming back, or is getting worse. Also seek care for high fever, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest pain, dehydration, or if you cough up blood. Infants, older adults, pregnant people, and those with heart or lung disease should get medical advice sooner if bronchitis symptoms develop.
When It May Be an Emergency
Emergency help may be needed for severe trouble breathing, blue lips or face, confusion, fainting, or severe chest pain. Urgent care is also important if symptoms rapidly worsen or if a person cannot speak in full sentences because of breathlessness. These signs can point to a serious lung or heart problem and should not be ignored.