Acute bronchitis is the inflammation of mucous membrane of the trachea affecting on enlargement and hyperactivity of mucous glands which make tracheal pathway narrowed causing cough and secretion with dyspnea.
Cause
- Respiratory tract infection, mostly from virus which is the same group causing flu and influenza.
- Bacterial infection such as Bordateria pertussis, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae
- Irritants such as smoking, air pollution, dust, chemical agent, etc.
- Irritation from gastric enzyme in patient with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Signs and symptoms
- Slight fever, chills, fatigue
- Cough with few or no sputum initially then increasing much more secretion later
- In case of sticky green or yellow sputum is caused by bacteria infection
Treatments
- Symptomatic treatment for example antipyretic drug for treatment of fever.
- Cough medication or bronchodilator.
In case of a large amount of sputum, mucolytic agent may be given.
