Bronchitis doesn't tend to be serious for people who are normally healthy. It usually goes away on its own, even without treatment. But if your symptoms are very bad, your doctor may want to do tests to make sure you don't have a more serious illness, such as

 

 

 

 

 

pneumonia
Pneumonia is an infection in your lungs. Anything that causes infections (bacteria, viruses or fungi, for example) can give you pneumonia.

 

 

 

 

 

pneumonia.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Braman SS.
Chronic cough due to acute bronchitis: ACCP evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.
Chest. 2006; 129 (supplement 1): S95-S103.

 

 

 

 

 

¹

Bronchitis that lasts up to three weeks is called acute bronchitis.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Gonzales R, Sande MA.
Uncomplicated acute bronchitis.
Annals of Internal Medicine. 2000; 133: 981-991.

 

 

 

 

 

² If your symptoms last more than three weeks, your doctor might call your condition persistent bronchitis. If you cough up mucus every day for at least three months, two years in a row, it's called chronic bronchitis.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Gonzales R, Sande MA.
Uncomplicated acute bronchitis.
Annals of Internal Medicine. 2000; 133: 981-991.

 

 

 

 

 

²

This information covers acute bronchitis.

There are lots of different

 

 

 

 

 

viruses
Viruses are microbes (tiny organisms) that need the cells of humans or other animals to exist. They use the machinery of cells to reproduce. Then they spread to other cells in the body.

 

 

 

 

 

viruses that can cause bronchitis. Doctors think flu (influenza) viruses are one of the most common causes.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Gonzales R, Sande MA.
Uncomplicated acute bronchitis.
Annals of Internal Medicine. 2000; 133: 981-991.

 

 

 

 

 

² Cold viruses can also lead to bronchitis.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Hueston WJ, Mainous AG.
Acute bronchitis.
American Family Physician. 1998; 57: 1270-1276.

 

 

 

 

 

³ Bronchitis often starts as you're just getting over another illness, such as the flu.

Viruses spread easily from one person to another. For example, you can breathe in viruses when you stand next to someone who has just coughed. As your body fights off the virus, it makes the lining of your lungs' airways inflamed and coated with mucus. This causes the symptoms of bronchitis.

 

 

 

 

 

bacteria
Bacteria are tiny organisms. There are lots of different types. Some are harmful and can cause disease. But some bacteria live in your body without causing any harm.

 

 

 

 

 

Bacteria rarely cause bronchitis.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Hueston WJ, Mainous AG.
Acute bronchitis.
American Family Physician. 1998; 57: 1270-1276.

 

 

 

 

 

³

Some other things can damage the lining of your lungs and lead to bronchitis. Breathing in a lot of chemical fumes or smoke from a fire may do this.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Hueston WJ, Mainous AG.
Acute bronchitis.
American Family Physician. 1998; 57: 1270-1276.

 

 

 

 

 

³

Air pollution can also trigger bronchitis, especially if you already have another condition that affects your heart or lungs.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Speizer FE.
Occupational exposures and pulmonary disease.
In: Braunwald E, Fauci AS, Kasper DL (editors). Harrison's principles of internal medicine. 15th edition. McGraw-Hill Education, New York, U.S.A.; 2001.

 

 

 

 

 

⁴ Dust from animals and plant farming, mining and working with stone can lead to bronchitis. However, it usually takes many years for this type of lung damage to happen. It usually causes long-lasting (chronic) bronchitis, not acute bronchitis.

If you smoke, you're at increased risk of getting chronic bronchitis.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Whittemore AS, Perlin SA, DiCiccio Y.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in lifelong nonsmokers: results from NHANES.
American Journal of Public Health. 1995; 85: 702-706.

 

 

 

 

 

⁵

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Brunekreef B, Fischer P, Remijn B, et al.
Indoor air pollution and its effects on pulmonary function of adult non-smoking women. III: passive smoking and pulmonary function.
International Journal of Epidemiology. 1985; 14: 227-230.

 

 

 

 

 

⁶ But researchers aren't sure if smoking increases your chances of getting a bout of acute bronchitis. To read more about chronic bronchitis, see Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Children under 4 and older people are most likely to get bronchitis, especially if they already have other health problems that affect their lungs and heart.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Verheij TJ, Kaptein AA, Mulder JD.
Acute bronchitis: aetiology, symptoms and treatment.
Family Practice. 1989; 6: 66-69.

 

 

 

 

 

⁷

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