Acute Bronchitis

Acute form of bronchitis is a type that begins in about 5 days after having acquired a respiratory infection by the person. In case you are affected with cold or flu, and you leave it untreated, it will develop in about five days to bronchitis.

The bronchitis symptoms are hence initially similar to common cold or flu but its symptoms after 5 days are so obvious that it can be diagnosed so easily.

The season during which bronchitis occurs is normally during the cold or flu season, which refers to the early spring and winter seasons. Bronchitis can affect individuals irrespective of their age. Those people who can get bronchitis are mostly

1. Those already affected by a cold or flu. Cold and flu are common diseases and it can affect anyone at anytime. If it is left totally untreated, it can develop into bronchitis.
2. Smokers who smoke a lot of cigarettes owing to the smoke, which can act as an allergen.
3. Older people above the age of 50 years are easily prone.
4. People (irrespective of age) who have a weakened immune system
5. People with COPD

The causes for acute bronchitis have been identified to be

· Mostly viruses of many strains like influenza, para influenza, rhinovirus, etc or all the viruses that can cause cold
· Sometimes bacteria like streptococcus, etc
· Very rarely Mycoplasmas, organisms that have the properties of both bacteria and virus
· Rarely by allergens like dust, fumes, smoke, chemical agents

The disease can spread very easily just by staying in contact with an infected person. It is a contagious disease. But mostly as said initially, it will occur following flu or common cold which later develops into bronchitis. The virus is capable of attacking the lining of the bronchial tree of lungs that can cause infections, swellings and later mucus production.

The symptoms of bronchitis are many. The most common among them are fever, cough and tiredness. The cough may start up as a dry and painful one, which later progresses to productive mucus production, which is yellow or green in color. The other symptoms include

· Chest pain
· Sore throat
· Chest congestion or discomfort
· Wheezing
· Body aches
· Shortness of breath
· Chills

The cough lasts for several weeks or even months sometimes. But if it prolongs and it changes to something else which is unexpected by you, you must immediately contact a healthcare professional. Do not neglect thinking it may be just bronchitis. There are many respiratory diseases, which may lead to serious complications.