Bronchitis

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the airways in the lungs. It is usually caused by an infection.

Acute bronchitis is temporary inflammation. It gets better without treatment in about 3 weeks.

Chronic bronchitis is long-term inflammation. It's part of a group of conditions called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD usually only happens in adults age 40 and older.

Symptoms of bronchitis

The main symptom of acute bronchitis is a hacking cough. This cough may bring up clear, yellow-grey or green mucus (phlegm).

Other symptoms can be similar to a cold or sinus infection, including:

• a sore throat
• a headache
• a runny or blocked nose
• aches and pains
• tiredness

The cough may last for several weeks after other symptoms have gone. The coughing can make your chest and stomach muscles sore.

Acute bronchitis mostly happens in children under age 5. But it can affect people of all ages.

Some people may have wheezing or shortness of breath. But this is more common with long-term (chronic) bronchitis.

Things that help with acute bronchitis

In most cases, acute bronchitis clears up in 3 weeks without treatment.

There are things you can do to ease your symptoms.

What happens at your GP appointment

Your GP will:

• ask about your symptoms
• examine your chest and listen to your breathing with a stethoscope
• ask if you have a family history of breathing problems
• ask if you smoke or used to smoke

If your symptoms are serious or last a long time, your GP may need to do tests to find the cause.

They may refer you for:

• a chest x-ray and to check for a lung infection such as pneumonia
• lung function tests such as spirometry to check for other breathing conditions
• allergy tests

Tests to diagnose COPD

Treating bronchitis

In most cases, acute bronchitis clears up in 3 weeks. But your GP may prescribe medicines to ease your symptoms.

If you are diagnosed with chronic bronchitis, it will be treated as COPD. There's no cure for COPD but treatment can help control your symptoms.

Treatment for COPD

Cough medicines

Your GP or pharmacist can give you advice on cough medicine and lozenges. But these do not get rid of a cough completely.

Do not give cough medicines to children under 6. Contact your GP or pharmacist before you give a cough medicine to children age 6 to 12.

Antibiotics

In most cases, your GP will not prescribe antibiotics for bronchitis. This is because it's usually caused by a virus.

Antibiotics have no effect on viruses.

A GP may prescribe antibiotics if you have a risk of complications. Complications include pneumonia.

Causes of bronchitis

In most cases, bronchitis is caused by the same viruses that cause the common cold or flu. Less often, it's caused by bacteria.

To reduce the risk of spreading an infection:

• wash your hands often with warm water and soap
• cough into your elbow to stop germs getting on to your hands and spreading to other people
• use tissues to trap germs when you cough or sneeze
• throw out used tissues as quickly as possible before touching something else.

Breathing in irritant substances

Bronchitis can be triggered by breathing in irritant substances. Irritants include smog, chemicals in household products or cigarette smoke.

You may be at risk of chronic bronchitis if you're often exposed to irritants at work.

These include:

• grain dust
• textiles (fabric fibres)
• ammonia
• strong acids
• chlorine

This is sometimes called occupational bronchitis. It usually eases if you can avoid the irritant substance.

Smoking and bronchitis

Smoking is the main cause of chronic bronchitis. It can affect people who smoke or inhale secondhand smoke.

Cigarette smoke and the chemicals in cigarettes make bronchitis worse. They can increase your risk of developing another COPD condition called emphysema. Emphysema is when the air sacs in the lungs become damaged and cause shortness of breath.

The best thing you can do for your health is not to smoke or vape.

Get help to quit smoking

Complications of bronchitis

Pneumonia is the most common complication of bronchitis.

Pneumonia happens when the infection spreads into the lungs. This causes the tiny air sacs inside the lungs to fill up with fluid. About 1 in 20 cases of bronchitis lead to pneumonia.

People at an increased risk of developing pneumonia include people:

• age 65 or older
• who smoke
• with other health conditions, such as heart, liver or kidney disease
• with a weakened immune system

You can usually treat mild pneumonia with antibiotics at home. More severe cases may need admission to hospital.