Bronchitis is one of the most common respiratory diseases. He is also insidious in the fact that in the absence of proper treatment, he is able to go into a chronic form. According to modern statistics, it is found in people of any age, but it is most difficult for children. Therefore, parents need to know which cough with bronchitis is characteristic. This will allow timely action and prevent complications. In most cases, bronchitis is caused by infectious causes.
What kind of pathology
Let's start with what bronchi are. This is an essential part of the respiratory system. Through the bronchial system, oxygen is delivered to the lungs. Their surface is covered with mucus and sensitive cilia, which bring back the mucus, which for various reasons accumulates inside.
Bronchitis is called inflammation of the mucous membrane. There may be many reasons for this; below we will return to this. The disease can be simple or obstructive in degree of development. Bronchitis is acute or chronic. Based on what cough with bronchitis, the doctor may suggest complications.
- Obstructive bronchitis is one of the varieties in which the strongest narrowing of the lumen of the bronchi occurs. The cause may be accumulation of mucus or spasm.
- If the inflammation passes to the trachea, then we are talking about tracheobronchitis.
- If the lungs are involved in the pathological process, then we are talking about bronchopneumonia.
Diagnosis requires experience and knowledge. It is sometimes difficult for an ordinary patient to even explain what cough. With bronchitis, it is usually painful and prolonged - this is the only thing that can be described.
The main symptoms and signs
Often patients do not go to the doctor until they feel a serious deterioration. Cough and runny nose in our society are not considered serious symptoms, so they are ignored. In addition, it is difficult to determine which cough with bronchitis is characteristic, because it depends on the form of the course of the disease.
- It can be dry or wet. It should be noted that dry is characteristic only for atypical or viral bronchitis. He is more painful, anguished and is not accompanied by sputum separation. Knowing what cough with bronchitis in adults is usually accompanied by spasmodic attacks that cause a headache, doctors prescribe drugs that affect the cough center in the brain and block the reflex. This is not the main, but only ancillary treatment.
- A wet cough with green sputum is a symptom of bacterial bronchitis. To improve the condition, the connection of antibiotics is required.
Primary diagnosis
Here we divide the course of the disease into acute and chronic. In each of these cases, the clinical picture will be very different. Let's start with what cough with acute bronchitis. Usually these are severe attacks, after which it gives pain in the head. A person does not feel relief after an attack. On the contrary, it feels pain in the chest and throat. In addition, the signs of the acute phase include:
- Increase in body temperature to 39 degrees.
- Lethargy and fatigue.
- Chills.
- Sweating.
- Wheezing.
- Shortness of breath and pain in the sternum. This is characteristic of severe bronchitis.
The acute form is usually short-lived. Even with folk remedies, the cough should not last longer than 14 days. Usually it is accompanied by rhinitis of varying degrees of intensity.
Types and types of acute form of the disease
Features of the course of the disease:
- Bronchitis can be infectious if bacteria or viruses provoke its development. A factor contributing to the progression of the disease may be incorrect inhalation exposure. Both options are distinguished by a wet cough with a large amount of sputum.
- Primary or secondary. That is, does it develop as an independent disease or is it a complication against the background of a primary infection.
- By location, bronchiolitis, tracheobronchitis and bronchitis affecting the middle bronchi are distinguished. The doctor listens to wheezing with a stethoscope to make a correct diagnosis.
- By the nature of the inflammation, bronchitis can be purulent or catarrhal. In the first case, the cough is accompanied by the separation of pus, and in the second - mucus.
- A very important indicator is the nature of the violation of ventilation. Knowing which cough with obstructive bronchitis is typical for most patients, you can prescribe the right treatment and alleviate the condition. With the obstructive form, the bronchioles and small bronchi are affected, that is, plus to everything, breathing is difficult. If blue lips are observed, then it is necessary to call an ambulance.
Chronic form
If you do not consult a doctor on time and do not start the correct treatment, then such an outcome is possible. Symptoms gradually fade away and the person believes that he has completely recovered. But several weeks pass, and, walking down the street on a cool day, you feel that you are getting sick again. What cough with chronic bronchitis can be called typical? It usually recurs after any physical activity and is accompanied by sputum separation. In this case, syrups or cough suppressants do not bring relief. With such a disease, it is hard for a person to speak for a long time, to give lectures.
So, with this form it is characteristic:
- Cough with sputum.
- Stumbling during physical exertion.
- Heat.
But here it must be borne in mind that each person has all the individual symptoms. In addition, during the development of the disease, they can intensify or, conversely, decay. Therefore, it is not always easy to characterize what cough is with bronchitis.
But hemoptysis with this disease is not characteristic. But in some cases, attacks of severe coughing can provoke a rupture of the vessel in the mucosa. Admixtures of blood in sputum are always scary, so discuss this point with your doctor. He has the results of tests on his hands, and he knows how to reassure the patient.
Options for the course of chronic bronchitis
The timing here is quite difficult to determine. A person can get the flu in childhood or in adolescence, and after many years experience the consequences of improper or untimely treatment of bronchitis. What cough should the patient have, will also depend on the form and conditions under which the ailment stubbornly returns:
- It is also necessary to distinguish between primary and secondary bronchitis.
- By the nature of the secretions during cough, catarrhal, purulent and mixed are divided.
- Bronchitis with obstruction and without it.
- Different in localization.
In the chronic form, we can observe the course of the disease without temperature. Symptoms of bronchitis without fever can be severe headache, apathy, and shortness of breath. If during coughing the patient feels pain extending to the side, then plastic bronchitis, that is, obstruction of the lumen of the bronchus, can be suspected. In this case, as in all others, the doctor should deal with the treatment.
The course of the disease in children
According to statistics, the largest number of complications is observed precisely at the age of 5 years. The acute form of the disease, as a rule, develops against the background of damage to the body by influenza virus, adenoviruses and other pathogenic microorganisms that cause respiratory diseases. Chronic obstructive bronchitis can be characterized by the addition of mycoplasmas and chlamydia, which can be found in swabs from the bronchi.
What cough for bronchitis in children can be considered favorable? Moist, moderate, with good discharge of mucus. But most often in the initial stages of the disease, sputum is thick and viscous, which is a breeding ground for the development of pathogenic organisms. Only when the acute phase has passed has it begun to move away quite freely.
Respiratory failure
This is one of the most formidable complications, which is most often characteristic precisely for children, in the range from 2 to 6 years. Depending on the type of cough for bronchitis in children, doctors may suggest such a scenario and prescribe the right treatment in time. Obstructive bronchitis occurs due to spasm of the bronchi and accumulation in the places of narrowing of viscous sputum, causing an angry cough.
If the baby suffers from attacks, then you need to call a doctor immediately. At the same time, listen carefully to how he breathes. This ailment is very insidious, and often the child cannot breathe normally, exhalation is especially difficult. In this case, hospitalization is required.
It must be remembered that the general symptoms of obstructive bronchitis in children develop suddenly. These include:
- General weakness and malaise.
- Anxiety and tearfulness.
- Wheezing on exhalation.
- The temperature rises to 38 degrees.
At the very beginning of the disease, the cough will be very dry. It hurts the child to cough and he tries to do this as carefully as possible. Proper therapy consists in liquefying and eliminating sputum, against the background of antibiotic therapy. Especially difficult can be the treatment of babies. What cough with bronchitis would not be present, it will still exhaust the crumbs. Add to this a constant horizontal position, thanks to which the mucus does not recede. In this case, hospitalization and accompaniment of a competent doctor are needed. Self-medication is fraught with serious complications.
Diagnostics
Do not self-medicate, and it does not matter what kind of cough the child has. With bronchitis, a qualified doctor should listen to it. A strong dry or wet cough, shortness of breath, lethargy and temperature - all this is an occasion to call a specialist at home. For diagnosis, the doctor:
- He carefully listens to the baby’s breathing to identify characteristic changes.
- If necessary, direct to x-ray.
- Will write a direction for a general analysis of blood and urine. A change in the leukocyte formula will be informative for diagnosis and treatment.
Therapeutic measures
The use of antibiotics remains open. Here, each case should be considered separately. Their use is necessary:
- If the inflammatory process is provoked by a bacterial infection.
- If a bacterial complication has joined.
The choice of drugs is classic: penicillins, cephalosporins, macrolides. For example, Sumamed, Amoxicillin, Cefazolin, Cefadroxil, Erythromycin, Azithromycin. Depending on the state of health and age, one or another treatment option is chosen.
If the doctor suspects the viral nature of the disease, then the use of appropriate medicines suggests itself. But proven antiviral medications with proven effectiveness do not exist, this is a fact. But there are doctors who are confident in their positive impact on the healing process. To date, these are drugs with interferon and oseltamivir.
Expectorant
Another large group of drugs, without which no treatment can do. Bronchitis always begins with a dry, strong cough. Therefore, drugs with the following effects are used:
- To stimulate expectoration.
- For thinning sputum.
The first group includes drugs that will stimulate the cough center of the brain. This is a thermopsis herb, a number of essential oils, ammonium chloride and others. It is very important to observe the recommended dosage, otherwise the body will react with vomiting and nasal congestion.
The second group of drugs is mucolytics. That is, substances that thin the sputum without causing an increase in its volume. These are Bromhexine, Ambroxol, Doctor Mom, Alteyka and a number of other drugs with a similar effect.
Additional help
With bronchitis, physiotherapy works very well. To do this, you have to visit the hospital, but the effect is worth it. There are a lot of recommended procedures, but inhalations, massage and breathing exercises have proven effectiveness. Inhalation is carried out with solutions of salt and soda, essential oils, Ambrobene. Contraindication is high fever.
Respiratory gymnastics and massage are usually prescribed when the disease has subsided and only with the permission of the attending physician. This is especially true when treating a child.
Conclusion
Diagnosis and treatment of bronchitis have a number of features. Each form may differ from the other, and it is not always easy to even explain what kind of cough you have. Therefore, you can not self-medicate. The specialist will listen to the lungs, direct him to an x-ray if necessary, and then prescribe the most appropriate treatment in your case. The quicker you start following the recommendations, the sooner you will feel better, and the risk of the disease becoming chronic will be minimal.