A persistent cough that is not Covid-19

Chronic bronchitis is diagnosed when you have had a sputum-producing cough for at least three months. — Filepic

My husband has been having a cough for more than five days, as well as a stuffy nose at night that is depriving him of a good night’s sleep because he says he cannot breathe properly. At first, we thought it was Covid-19, but he repeatedly tested negative. Finally, we went to see a doctor, who told him he had bacterial bronchitis. What is bronchitis?

Bronchitis is the inflammation of the lining of your bronchial tubes.

Your bronchial tubes are the passages that connect your trachea to your lungs.

You breathe through your nose and mouth.

The air you breathe in goes into your larynx, then the trachea, followed by your bronchial tubes, and subsequently into your alveoli, the air sacs that form the subunits of your lungs.

Bronchitis may be either acute or chronic.

Oh dear. What type of bronchitis does he have?

Sounds like he has acute bronchitis.

It usually develops from a cold or some other upper respiratory tract infection that has gone deeper because the body didn’t fight it off effectively enough.

A common layman term for it is “chest cold”.

Chronic bronchitis is more serious and a different beast altogether.

What causes bronchitis?

Acute bronchitis is usually caused by viruses. They are the same viruses that cause colds and influenza.

Bacterial bronchitis is much rarer.

Chronic bronchitis has a completely different causation.

It is commonly caused by cigarette-smoking.

Other causes are air pollution from dust and toxins in the environment or your workplace.

The textile and grain industries are particularly known for causing bronchitis in exposed employees.

You can get both types of bronchitis more easily if you are constantly exposed to cigarette smoke, even if you are not a smoker yourself.

Other factors that make you more vulnerable are a weak immune system, e.g. if you are immunocompromised (such as with patients on cancer treatment), a child or an elderly person.

If you have gastric reflux or heartburn, this can repeatedly irritate your throat and make you susceptible to getting bronchitis.

Other than a cough, what symptoms can I expect if I have bronchitis?

Acute bronchitis and chronic bronchitis both have the same type of symptoms.

These symptoms are similar to those of any lower respiratory tract infection.

You may get a cough that produces sputum.

The sputum can be white, clear, yellowish, grey, or even green in colour, especially if it is bacterial in origin.

Sometimes, the sputum may even be streaked in blood if you cough hard enough to rupture some blood vessels.

Because acute bronchitis is a mostly viral infection, you may get the mild fever, chills, fatigue, muscle aches, headache and body aches that are usually associated with a viral infection.

Sometimes, if it is more severe, you may even get shortness of breath or chest discomfort.

The main differentiator between acute bronchitis and chronic bronchitis symptomwise, is its duration.

Acute bronchitis symptoms usually improve in about a week to ten days.

The cough may be persistent, however, for several weeks as your bronchi tissues take time to heal and the regenerating tissue may still irritate your cough receptors.

Nevertheless, acute bronchitis behaves like a lot of respiratory tract infections.

Once it goes away, there are no lingering effects.

How long do I have to have these symptoms before it is considered chronic bronchitis?

Chronic bronchitis is diagnosed when you have a cough that produces sputum, which lasts for at least three months.

Even if it initially subsides, you would then have recurring bouts of the cough that occur on and off for a total duration of at least two consecutive years.

There may be periods when your symptoms worsen.

These may also be due to you having acute bronchitis caused by an infection on top of your chronic bronchitis!

Chronic bronchitis is one of the conditions in the spectrum of chronic lung conditions known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Is there any treatment for bronchitis?

For acute bronchitis, the cause is usually viral, so it usually gets better by itself without any treatment needed.

In a couple of weeks’ time, you would usually have recovered.

Because most of it is caused by viruses, you usually do not need antibiotics.

In the rare case it is bacterial, the doctor will then prescribe you antibiotics.

It is good to go to a doctor anyway because he or she may give you other medications to help with your symptoms, such as cough suppressants, inhalers, or even a nebuliser to widen your narrowed inflamed airways.

For chronic bronchitis, the same type of therapies are given when you have an acute attack.

You may also receive oxygen therapy and steroids to reduce the inflammation.

Pulmonary rehabilitation programmes that teach you how to breathe more easily and exercise better are also available.

Chronic bronchitis is unfortunately not curable.

Dr YLM graduated as a medical doctor, and has been writing for many years on various subjects such as medicine, health, computers and entertainment. For further information, email [e-mail]. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only, and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Neither The Star nor the author gives any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to such information. The Star and the author disclaim all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.