| Acute bronchitis is a common respiratory disease that | | | | the first days after the period of incubation. Some |
| causes inflammation of the bronchial mucosal | | | | patients with acute bronchitis may have this symptom |
| membranes. Unlike chronic forms of the disease, acute | | | | for less than two weeks, while others may be |
| bronchitis has a rapid onset and generates more | | | | confronted with cough for more than six weeks. If this |
| intense symptoms. However, acute bronchitis doesn't | | | | symptom persists for more than 8 weeks, it may point |
| have a recurrent character and thus its generated | | | | to chronic bronchitis. |
| symptoms don't persist in time. Due to the fact that the | | | | The texture and the color of the expectorated mucus |
| clinical manifestations of acute bronchitis are unspecific, | | | | are major indicators for the seriousness of the |
| pointing to various types of respiratory diseases, | | | | disease. For instance, the expectoration of clear, |
| sometimes it can be difficult for doctors to quickly find | | | | colorless mucus may disclose infectious forms of |
| the correct diagnosis. Thus, doctors usually perform | | | | acute bronchitis. By contrast, abundant expectoration |
| additional tests in order to confirm the presumptive | | | | of yellowish or dark-colored mucus may point to |
| diagnosis. However, even laboratory tests can | | | | bacterial infection of the bronchial membranes. |
| sometimes fail to reveal conclusive evidence of acute | | | | Blood-producing cough usually points to severe forms |
| bronchitis. Considering this fact, the majority of patients | | | | of acute bronchitis, suggesting that the lungs are also |
| with suspected acute bronchitis are commonly | | | | affected by the disease. The majority of patients with |
| diagnosed after they receive elaborate physical | | | | acute bronchitis may experience an exacerbation of |
| examinations. | | | | cough during the night or in the first hours of the |
| Most symptoms of acute bronchitis are outwardly | | | | morning. |
| visible. The disease generates symptoms such as | | | | Although doctors often perform laboratory analyses of |
| mucus-producing cough, chest pain and discomfort | | | | mucus samples, tests such as Gram staining aren't |
| (intensifying with deep breaths), wheezing, difficult, | | | | very accurate in revealing traces of bacterial infection. |
| shallow and accelerated breathing. Sometimes, these | | | | Even in the cases of serious infection, most laboratory |
| manifestations of acute bronchitis can be | | | | tests may only reveal the presence of benign bacterial |
| accompanied by mild or moderate fever. The | | | | flora at the level of the respiratory tract. In spite of |
| presence of high fever is an indicator of complications, | | | | medical progress and the wide range of medical |
| suggesting severe infection with bacteria or | | | | techniques available nowadays, the presence of acute |
| mycoplasmas. Prolonged, intense fever may point to | | | | bronchitis in patients is rarely revealed by routine |
| spreading of the respiratory infection at the level of the | | | | laboratory tests. Thus, acute bronchitis is usually |
| lungs (pneumonia). | | | | diagnosed according to the results of more elaborate |
| Mucus-producing cough is usually the most revealing | | | | physical examinations. |
| symptom of acute bronchitis. Although the presence of | | | | Radiography, spirometry and pulse oximetry are rarely |
| cough is not sufficient for diagnosing acute bronchitis, | | | | used in the process of diagnosing acute bronchitis. |
| the intensity and the frequency of this symptom are | | | | These tests are recommended to patients with |
| major indicators of respiratory diseases such as | | | | complicated forms of acute bronchitis that involve |
| bronchitis. Cough is usually the first symptom to occur | | | | spreading of the disease at pulmonary level. |
| among people with acute bronchitis, intensifying within | | | | |