Bronchitis Symptoms
Bronchitis is a respiratory infection. It is the bronchi that are responsible for passing the air from the trachea or wind pipe to the lungs. An individual is said to be suffering from bronchitis when the bronchi experience inflammation resulting in shortness of breath, cough and chest tension. There is formation of yellow or green mucus along with persistent cough. |
Bronchitis can be categorized into two types; namely acute bronchitis and chronic bronchitis. While viral infection is the cause of acute bronchitis, chronic bronchitis is generally the outcome of cigarette smoking. Breathing in fumes for an extended time period also leads to chronic bronchitis.
The most evident symptom of bronchitis is cough. The cough could be either dry or accompanied with discolored phlegm. Cough, as a result of bronchitis, would probably last for more than two weeks. Also, the pressure exerted due to excessive coughing could end up causing soreness in the chest and abdominal muscles. Under extreme circumstances, severe coughing could lead to injury to the chest wall, or result in unconsciousness. Wheezing is also a common feature of bronchitis. Presence of discolored mucus for a span of three months may be an indication of chronic bronchitis. However, if the person is coughing out a lot of phlegm, he should be checked for pneumonia besides bronchitis.
Acute bronchitis has several other symptoms as well. Some of these include sore throat, breathlessness, wheezing, overall malaise, chest congestion, light fever with chills, fullness of sinus and sensation of obstruction or burning in the chest.
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