In this Article

• What is bronchitis?
• What causes bronchitis?
• When does a cold become bronchitis?
• Should I call my doctor about a cough?
• What are the symptoms of bronchitis?
• Should I call my doctor about bronchitis?
• Can I treat bronchitis at home?
• How do I know if I have bronchitis?
• What are the treatments for bronchitis?
• Patient Discussions: Bronchitis - Length Symptoms Lasted
• Bronchitis Glossary
• Bronchitis Index

What Are the Symptoms of Bronchitis?

Symptoms of bronchitis include the following:

• A cough that is frequent and produces mucus
  
  
• A lack of energy
  
  
• A wheezing sound when breathing, which may or may not be present
  
  
• A fever, which may or may not be present

Should I Call My Doctor About Bronchitis?

See your health care provider if you have any of these symptoms:

• A chest cold that lasts for more than two weeks
  
  
• A fever greater than 102°F
  
  
• A cough that produced blood
  
  
• A shortness of breath or wheezing

Can I Treat Bronchitis at Home?

If you have bronchitis you should do the following:

• Drink fluids every one to two hours unless your doctor has restricted your fluid intake
  
  
• Rest
  
  
• Don't smoke
  
  
• Relieve body aches by taking aspirin or acetaminophen. (If you are taking any other drugs, talk to your doctor to make sure aspirin or acetaminophen doesn't interfere with them. Children should NOT take aspirin.)
  
  
• Follow your doctor's instructions on ways to help clear your mucus.
  
  
• If you are coughing up mucus, note how often you cough as well as the color and amount of the mucus. Report this to your doctor.

If you have a dry cough and cough up little to no mucus, your doctor may prescribe a cough medicine to suppress your cough. He or she may also prescribe an expectorant to help loosen mucus so it can be more easily coughed up.

Because most episodes of bronchitis are caused by viruses, antibiotics will not be useful or necessary. Exceptions would be bronchitis caused by a bacterial infection or bronchitis in a person who has impaired lung function.

Bronchitis - Length Symptoms Lasted

The MedicineNet physician editors ask:

How long did the symptoms of your bronchitis last? Was there anything in particular that helped with pain/symptom relief?

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From the Doctors at MedicineNet.com

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