Bronchitis - acute
Symptoms
-
Cough - Stays steady or gets increasingly worse for 10 days to 2 weeks
- Worse at night
- Starts out dry and irritating, but becomes increasing loose over time
- May cough up mucus. (Younger kids usually can't cough this up; they swallow it.)
- In very rare cases, patients may cough up blood (blood streaked sputum). See a doctor if this happens.
- Lasts for less than 6-8 weeks
-
Shortness of breath -
Wheezing - "Rattle" sensation in chest
- General ill feeling (
malaise ) - Slight fever
- Tickle feeling in back of throat that leads to soreness
-
Chest pain , soreness, and constricted feeling in the chest - Poor sleep
- Chills (uncommon)
Signs and tests
A diagnosis of acute bronchitis is made by reviewing a patient's current health and medical history. A physical examination and chest x-ray help rule out the presence of
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