$Unique_ID{PAR00031}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  Bronchitis}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{Bronchitis Dry hacking cough Fever Tightness center chest pain
appetite Loss weakness discomfort Rattling sound breathing coughed blood
sputum trachea bronchi virus viruses}
$Log{
Bronchial Tubes and Bronchitis*0003101.tif}

Your Child:  A Medical Guide


Bronchitis


Quick Reference

     SYMPTOMS
     - Dry, hacking cough
     - Fever
     - Tightness and pain in center of chest
     - Loss of appetite
     - General weakness and discomfort
     - Rattling sound to breathing

     HOME CARE
     - The child should rest during the fever stage and the period when the
       cough is the worst.
     - Give acetaminophen for aches and fever.
     - Phenylephrine or oxymetazoline nose drops may be used.
     - A humidifier or vaporizer will make breathing easier.
     - Give your child extra liquids.

     PRECAUTIONS
     - If there is pain on the side of the chest, see your doctor.
     - If there is blood in the discharge coughed up, see your doctor.
     - If the condition worsens after three or four days, see your doctor.
     - Do not give oral decongestants to a child with bronchitis.
     - If bronchitis occurs more than once a year, see your doctor.


     Bronchitis may be thought of as a cold that spreads to the trachea
(windpipe) and to the bronchi (the air passages leading into the lungs).  It
may start with the signs of a common cold--nasal congestion and discharge,
sneezing, watery eyes, and scratchy throat--but it may also develop without
the appearance of any cold symptoms.
     Most cases of bronchitis are caused by viruses.  These germs cannot be
combated with antibiotics.  Bronchitis is contagious and is passed on in the
same manner as a cold.  If the disease occurs frequently, the child may have
an underlying allergy. (Sometimes children with asthma tend to have repeated
attacks of bronchitis.)

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     The major symptoms of bronchitis are a dry, hacking cough; a low-grade
fever (100 degrees_F oral, 101 degrees_F rectal) or no fever; and tightness
and pain in the center of the chest.  Often the child experiences a loss of
appetite and feels generally weak and uncomfortable.  After a few days, the
cough loosens.  Occasionally, a rattling sound can be heard in the chest when
the child takes a breath, but there is never any real difficulty in breathing
(except that caused by nasal congestion).  The entire illness may last about a
week.
     There is rarely high fever or prostration (extreme exhaustion or
collapse).  There is never pain on the side of the chest.  No blood appears in
the sputum (discharge coughed up out of the lungs).

HOME CARE

     Treatment for bronchitis is similar to that for the common cold.  Limited
activity is recommended during the fever stage and the time when the cough is
the worst.  Encourage your child to drink liquids to avoid dehydration
(serious loss of body fluids).
     Give acetaminophen for fever and body aches.  Phenylephrine or
oxymetazoline nose drops may be used.  If the cough is exhausting or keeps the
child from sleeping, cough medicine might help.
     A humidifier or vaporizer may make breathing easier.  Be sure to keep it
meticulously clean, however.  Otherwise, it can actually become a source of
infection if microorganisms are allowed to grow in it.

PRECAUTIONS

  -  See your doctor if any unusual symptoms occur, such as pain on the side
     of the chest or blood in the sputum.
  -  See your doctor if bronchitis occurs more than once a year.
  -  See your doctor if the condition worsens after three to four days.
  -  Do not use oral decongestants, which may aggravate a dry cough.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     Your doctor will perform a physical examination, with special attention
to the chest.  Throat or sputum cultures, a chest x-ray examination, and blood
studies may be necessary.  If bronchitis occurs frequently, the doctor will
investigate the possibility of an allergy, a foreign body in the bronchial
tubes, or a lowered resistance to infection.
     The usefulness of antibiotics and some types of cough medicines is
debatable.  Antibiotics usually are not helpful for most types of bronchitis
(those caused by viruses), and some cough medicines can aggravate the
condition.
     If a child has repeated attacks of bronchitis, your doctor may give
epinephrine by injection to determine if the child has an allergy; if
epinephrine relieves the symptoms, it is likely that the attacks are caused by
an allergy.

RELATED TOPICS:  Bronchiolitis; Chest pain; Common cold; Coughs; Cystic
fibrosis; Frequent illnesses; Viral infections