Acute Bronchitis

Acute Bronchitis: Overview

Acute bronchitis is an infection of the bronchial tree, which is a network made up of the tubes that carry air to and from the lungs.  When these tubes get infected, they swell and mucus forms.  This mucus makes it hard to breathe and must be removed; coughing and wheezing are the result.

Diagnose your symptoms now!
  • understand what's happening to your body
  • see your health summarized and in detail
  • identify any nutritional deficiencies

Causes and Development

A healthy airway compared to one damaged by Acute Bronchitis
A healthy airway (left) and an airway damaged by Acute Bronchitis (right). The lining swells, thickens, and produces mucus.

Acute bronchitis is almost always caused by viruses that attack the lining of the bronchial tree and cause infection.  As your body fights back against these viruses, more swelling occurs and more mucus is made.  It takes time for your body to kill the viruses and heal the damage to your bronchial tubes.

In most cases, the same viruses that cause colds cause acute bronchitis.  Research has shown that bacterial infection is much less common in bronchitis than previously thought.  Very rarely, an infection caused by a fungus can lead to acute bronchitis.  The viruses that cause acute bronchitis are sprayed into the air or onto people's hands when they cough.  You can get acute bronchitis if you breathe in those viruses or transfer them from a contaminated hand to your mouth.

Signs and Symptoms

Sometimes the cough from acute bronchitis lasts for several weeks or months, generally because the bronchial tree is taking a long time to heal.  However, a cough that doesn't go away may be a sign of another problem, such as asthma or pneumonia.

Treatment and Prevention

Because acute bronchitis is usually caused by viruses, antibiotics (medicines that kill bacteria) usually do not help.  Even if you cough up mucus that is colored or thick, antibiotics probably won't help you get better any faster.

For some people with acute bronchitis, doctors prescribe medicines that are usually used to treat asthma.  These medicines can help open the bronchial tubes and clear out mucus.  They are usually given with an inhaler.  An inhaler sprays the medicine right into the bronchial tree.

Prognosis; Seek medical attention if...

Most cases of acute bronchitis will go away on their own after a few days.

You should call your doctor if:

  • You continue to wheeze and cough for more than one month, especially at night or when you are active.
  • You continue to cough for more than one month and sometimes have a bad tasting fluid come up into your mouth.
  • You have a cough, you feel very sick and weak, and you have a high fever that doesn't go down.
  • You cough up blood.
  • You have trouble breathing when you lie down.
  • Your feet swell.

Signs, symptoms & indicators of Acute Bronchitis:

Symptoms - Environment

Difficulty breathing in cold weather

Cold, damp weather can aggravate bronchitis.

Counter-indicators
Breathing unaffected by cold weather

Cold, damp weather can aggravate bronchitis.

Symptoms - Respiratory

Conditions that suggest Acute Bronchitis:

Symptoms - Respiratory

Counter-indicators
Concerned or curious about your health?  Try The Analyst™
Symptom Entry
Symptom Entry
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
Suggestions
Suggestions
LifeMeter
LifeMeter®
Full Explanations
Explanations
Optional Doctor Review
Review (optional)

Risk factors for Acute Bronchitis:

Autoimmune

Lupus, SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus)

Infections of the respiratory tract are common in lupus patients.

Nutrients

Vitamin A Requirement

See the link between Cystitis and Vitamin A Deficiency.

Symptoms - Environment

High air pollution exposure

If you smoke or are around damaging fumes (such as those in certain kinds of factories), you are more likely to get acute bronchitis and to have it longer because your bronchial tree is already damaged.

Symptoms - Respiratory

Acute Bronchitis suggests the following may be present:

Addictions

Cigarette Smoke Damage

If you smoke or are around damaging fumes (such as those in certain kinds of factories), you are more likely to get acute bronchitis and to have it longer because your bronchial tree is already damaged.

Recommendations for Acute Bronchitis:

Botanical / Herbal

Ephedra (Ma Huang)

Ephedra (the active ingredient in Ma Huang) and pseudoephedrine have been used with clinical success in Chinese studies. [Pharmacology and Applications of Chinese Materia Medica, Vol 2, pp.1119-24, World Scientific Publishing]  Dosage: 500-1,000mg of the crude herb tid, or ephedrine 15-25mg tid.

Licorice Root

Licorice root, among other herbs, is a commonly-used expectorant to ease mucus removal in bronchitis.

Comfrey

Comfrey has been used with benefit in cases of bronchitis and irritable cough, where it will soothe the irritation and promote expectoration.

Diet

Sugar Avoidance / Reduction

Due to its inhibition of the immune system, sugar consumption should be stopped until all bronchitis symptoms have ceased.

Increased Water Consumption

Ensuring plenty of fluids prevents the mucus thickening associated with dehydration and eases mucus removal in patients with bronchitis.

Digestive Aids

Digestive Enzymes

Digestive pancreatic enzymes have been used to hasten the recovery process in both acute and chronic bronchitis. [ Enzymtherapie – grundlagen und anwendungsmoglichkeiten. Naturund Ganzheitsmedizin 3, 1991.]

Habits

Tobacco Avoidance

If you smoke, the best defense against acute bronchitis is to quit.  Smoking damages your bronchial tree, making it easier for viruses to cause infection and slowing down the healing process.  The bronchial tree will heal faster if you cut down on the number of cigarettes or, better still, stop smoking altogether.

Personal Hygiene Changes

One good way to avoid getting acute bronchitis is to wash your hands often to get rid of any viruses.

Physical Medicine

Report by The Analyst™
Click to see sample report
Health problems rarely occur in isolation or for obvious reasons

Your body is a highly complex, interconnected system.  Instead of guessing at what might be wrong, let us help you discover what is really going on inside your body based on the many clues it is giving.

Our multiple symptom checker provides in-depth health analysis by The Analyst™ with full explanations, recommendations and (optionally) doctors available for case review and answering your specific questions.

KEY

Weak or unproven link: may increase risk of
Weak or unproven link:
may increase risk of
Strong or generally accepted link: is often a sign or symptom of; often increases risk of; often suggests
Strong or generally accepted link:
is often a sign or symptom of; often increases risk of; often suggests
Definite or direct link: strongly suggests
Definite or direct link:
strongly suggests
Weakly counter-indicative: may contraindicate
Weakly counter-indicative:
may contraindicate
Definitely or absolutely counter-indicates: strongly contraindicates
Definitely or absolutely counter-indicates:
strongly contraindicates
May be useful: may help with
May be useful:
may help with
Moderately useful: often helps with
Moderately useful:
often helps with
Very useful: is highly recommended for
Very useful:
is highly recommended for
We use cookies for traffic analysis, advertising, and to provide the best user experience