Symptoms & Causes
Acute Bronchitis:
Causes Acute Bronchitis:
Infectious Bronchitis: Infectious bronchitis occurs most often during the winter and is most often caused by viruses. Viral bronchitis may be caused by a number of common viruses, including the influenza virus. Even after a viral infection has resolved, the irritation it causes can continue to cause symptoms for weeks.
Infectious bronchitis may also be caused by bacteria. Often bacterial bronchitis follows a viral upper respiratory infection. Acute bronchitis is more likely to be caused by bacteria in people who smoke. Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae are the bacteria that often cause acute bronchitis in young adults. In rare cases, Bordetella pertussis infection (whooping cough) may cause acute bronchitis.
Smokers and people who have chronic lung diseases may have repeated attacks of acute bronchitis. These episodes may be caused by bacteria, viruses, irritation from inhaling smoke, or a combination of factors. Under nutrition increases the risk of upper respiratory tract infections and subsequent acute bronchitis, especially in children and older people. Chronic sinus infections, bronchiectasis and allergies also increase the risk of repeated episodes of acute bronchitis. Children with enlarged tonsils and adenoids may have repeated episodes of bronchitis.
Irritative Bronchitis: Irritative bronchitis (also called industrial or environmental bronchitis) may be caused by exposure to various mineral and vegetable dusts as well as cigarette smoke and smog. Exposure to fumes from strong acids, ammonia, some organic solvents, chlorine, hydrogen sulphide, sulphur dioxide, and bromine can also cause irritative bronchitis.
Symptoms Acute Bronchitis:
Acute bronchitis often starts with a dry, annoying cough that is triggered by the inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes. Other symptoms may include:
- Cough that may bring up thick white, yellow, or greenish mucus
- Headache
- Generally feeling ill
- Chills
- Fever (usually mild)
- Shortness of breath
- Soreness or a feeling of tightness in the chest
- Wheezing (a whistling or hissing sound with breathing)
Infectious bronchitis generally begins with the symptoms of a common cold: runny nose, sore throat, fatigue, and chilliness. Back and muscle aches together with a slight fever (100° to 101° F, or 37.5° to 38° Celsius [C]) may be present, particularly if the infection is due to influenza. The onset of cough (usually dry at first) signals the beginning of acute bronchitis.
With viral bronchitis, small amounts of white mucus are often coughed up. This mucus often changes from white to green or yellow. The color change does not mean there is a bacterial infection. Color change means only that cells associated with inflammation have moved into the airway and are coloring the sputum.
Chronic bronchitis:
Chronic bronchitis is most common in smokers, although people who have repeated episodes of acute bronchitis sometimes develop the chronic condition. Except for chills and fever, a person with chronic bronchitis has a chronic productive cough and most of the symptoms of acute bronchitis, such as shortness of breath and chest tightness, on most days of the month, for months or years.
A person with chronic bronchitis often takes longer than usual to recover from colds and other common respiratory illnesses. Wheezing, shortness of breath and cough may become a part of daily life. Breathing can become increasingly difficult.
In people with asthma, bouts of bronchitis may come on suddenly and trigger episodes in which they have chest tightness, shortness of breath, wheezing, and difficulty exhaling (breathing out). In a severe episode of asthmatic bronchitis, the airways can become so narrowed and clogged that breathing is very difficult.