Acute bronchitis is a commonly encountered disease because it is easily spread through the air. A person with the disease transmits it through the air through something as simple as sneezing or coughing. Symptoms are usually not discovered or seen until about 2-3 days after the actual infection in the respiratory tract has occurred. And unfortunately, the symptoms can continue for up to 2-3 weeks after the initial infection.
This column will tell you about the symptoms of acute bronchitis, how the infection occurs, and possible and suggested treatments both at home and at the doctor’s office.
Symptoms and causes of acute bronchitis
There are 2 main types of bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis which has symptoms that last for long periods of time ranging from a few months to many years. The other type is acute bronchitis, with symptoms that have a much shorter time span (about 90 days). We will talk about acute bronchitis for this column.
Bronchitis occurs when viruses attack and damage the lining of the respiratory organ called the bronchial tree. The lesion then turns into an infection, and thus begins the process of acute bronchitis.
These are the main symptoms that can be found in a person with this type of disease:
– Often starts out like a common cold or “normal” flu.
– The clearest evidence that the disease has already progressed to acute bronchitis is the presence of slow-onset chest cough; your cough will most likely contain yellow or green mucus
– Other symptoms that may also appear include decreased stamina, shortness of breath, increased stress levels, ‘on and off’ fever, mild sinusitis, sore throat and just a general feeling of ‘tired’ and lack of energy.
– Due to chest cough, there may also be chest pains, tightness and shortness of breath.
Diagnosis and treatment
Due to the many symptoms that it shares with many other diseases and conditions, acute bronchitis is somewhat difficult to diagnose. Multiple tests, including CBC, other blood tests, and perhaps even a sputum culture and chest x-rays, may be required to dig deeper and further analyze the illness and hopefully rule out the possibility of a more dangerous pneumonia.
The best treatment policy is always the natural way. Lots and lots of rest, home medicine, alternative medicine that does not contain toxic chemicals, steam inhalation, consuming large volumes of water or liquids that do not have caffeine or carbonated. For those who can afford it, having air humidifiers or air filters in the house can go a long way in filtering the virus out of the air.
For cough, you can easily take antitussives, non-inflammatory and hypoallergenic medicines for sinuses and other symptoms.
There are many more treatments and relief medications, all you have to do is open your mind and investigate other ways than the “accepted” process.