Related Content Therapy or Psychiatry? Hear from a Therapist: 7 Tips for Managing Depression Depression is more than "feeling down" or " feeling blue. When to Use Telehealth for Kids When is telehealth right for your child, and what can you use it for? Chronic Care Amwell provides immediate online access to board-certified physicians, dietitians, therapists, psychiatrists and more. Have Insurance? Please select your insurance provider to continue. Acute bronchitis, also called a chest cold, usually improves within a week to 10 days without lasting effects, although the cough may linger for weeks.
However, if you have repeated bouts of bronchitis, you may have chronic bronchitis, which requires medical attention. Chronic bronchitis is one of the conditions included in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD. If you have acute bronchitis, you might have cold symptoms, such as a mild headache or body aches. While these symptoms usually improve in about a week, you may have a nagging cough that lingers for several weeks. Chronic bronchitis is defined as a productive cough that lasts at least three months, with recurring bouts occurring for at least two consecutive years.
If you have chronic bronchitis, you're likely to have periods when your cough or other symptoms worsen. At those times, you may have an acute infection on top of chronic bronchitis. Acute bronchitis is usually caused by viruses, typically the same viruses that cause colds and flu influenza.
Antibiotics don't kill viruses, so this type of medication isn't useful in most cases of bronchitis. The most common cause of chronic bronchitis is cigarette smoking. Air pollution and dust or toxic gases in the environment or workplace also can contribute to the condition. Although a single episode of bronchitis usually isn't cause for concern, it can lead to pneumonia in some people. Repeated bouts of bronchitis, however, may mean that you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD.
Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Where is care needed? Talk to a Specialist. By clicking Talk to a Specialist , you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use. Our team, or our partner providers, may contact you via a system that can auto-dial.
Your consent is not required to use our service. The hard part is over. I'm matching you with one of our specialists who will be calling you in the next few minutes. Don't want to wait? Skip to the front of the line by calling Subscribe to Our Newsletter. Sign Up. Bronchiolitis is typically caused by a viral infection. The respiratory syncytial virus causes more than half of all cases of bronchiolitis.
The common cold or the flu can cause also the condition. Bronchitis can also be bacterial. When your doctor suspects bronchitis, they will listen to your lungs with a stethoscope and ask about other symptoms. If your doctor suspects pneumonia, they may order a chest X-ray. Chest X-rays can also rule out other conditions, like lung cancer.
Your doctor may also order sputum tests to send to the lab for a culture. You may need to take a pulmonary function test. This test measures how well your lungs work and how well you can breathe. If your doctor suspects that your child has bronchiolitis, they will listen to the lungs with a stethoscope.
They may also:. Chest X-rays are almost always used in diagnosing bronchiolitis unless a complication is suspected. But it can lead to complications like pneumonia. Never ignore bronchitis, especially if you have recurrent cases. This could indicate that you have some form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD , which requires prompt treatment. Many cases of bronchiolitis are minor and easily treatable.
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