Symptoms and signs of acute bronchitis

Acute bronchitis is an acute inflammation of the upper respiratory tract caused by viruses, bacteria, physical and chemical irritations, allergies and other reasons, and belongs to the category of external cough in traditional Chinese medicine. It is a common and frequent disease in clinical practice, especially in winter and spring.

Symptoms and signs of acute bronchitis:

The onset is often preceded by symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection, such as nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, hoarseness, etc. In adults, influenza virus, adenovirus, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection may present with fever with symptoms of systemic toxemia such as fatigue, headache, and body aches, while acute bronchitis caused by rhinovirus and coronavirus is often absent. When inflammation involves the bronchial mucosa, cough and sputum production occur. Cough is the main manifestation of acute bronchitis, starting as irritating dry cough, after 3~4 days the nasopharyngeal symptoms are reduced, the cough becomes persistent and becomes a prominent symptom, and the cough is aggravated by cold, inhaling cold air, getting up in the morning and sleeping late or during physical activity.

Cough may be paroxysmal or persistent, and may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and chest and abdominal pain. The cough can last for about 2~3 weeks, and longer for smokers. Half of the patients have a sputum cough, which is mucinous and can turn into purulent sputum with the course of the disease, and occasionally blood in the sputum. With tracheal involvement, retrosternal pain may occur with deep breathing and coughing. When bronchospasm is present, there may be stridor, shortness of breath, and a feeling of chest tightness of varying severity. People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other underlying medical conditions that impair lung function may have cyanosis and dyspnea. Physical examination of the chest reveals coarse breath sounds in both lungs, coarse dry rales when mucus secretions are retained in the larger bronchi, and rales disappear after coughing. In bronchospasm, wheezing may be heard. The lung parenchyma is not involved in uncomplicated cases. Chest imaging is unremarkable, or only pulmonary markings are deepened.