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Acute bronchitis
What to do about vomiting with acute bronchitis?
Acute bronchitis is often seen in patients with weakened immune systems, or who accidentally catch cold. It frequently occurs in infants and young children who generally have lower immune functions. The invasion of pathogens into the respiratory tract can lead to various symptoms including fever, cough, phlegm, and breathing difficulties. During the acute phase of bronchitis, intense coughing due to the vigorous nature of the cough can increase gastric pressure. Therefore, sometimes after eating, patients may experience vomiting in conjunction with severe coughing. At this time, prompt treatment with anti-infection measures, cough suppression, and expectorants can naturally lead to improvement in vomiting.
Can acute bronchitis cause coughing up blood?
Acute bronchitis can potentially lead to coughing up blood. This is because acute bronchitis involves the infection of the bronchi by pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, and mycoplasma, leading to congestion and swelling of the airway mucosa. Patients often exhibit symptoms such as coughing, expectoration, and fever. If coughing is severe, it could rupture small blood vessels, causing symptoms of coughing up blood. If blood is present in the cough, hemostatic treatment is needed. However, not all instances of coughing up blood are due to acute bronchitis. Other possible causes of coughing up blood include lung tumors, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and pulmonary embolism. Therefore, if symptoms of coughing up blood occur, chest X-rays or a chest CT scan should be conducted to confirm the diagnosis.
Is acute bronchitis contagious?
Acute bronchitis is somewhat contagious, mostly caused by viruses, bacteria, mycoplasma, or staphylococci due to inflammatory irritation. It can spread through respiratory secretions and expelled air containing pathogens. If a healthy person comes into contact with these pathogens, they may get infected. Therefore, acute bronchitis can be contagious. It is advisable to promptly disinfect indoor air, drink plenty of water, rest adequately, select sensitive antimicrobial drugs to kill the pathogens, and treat symptoms accordingly.
How many days of IV treatment are required for acute bronchitis?
Acute bronchitis is mostly caused by viral infections, and there is generally no specific medication for it. Therefore, patients with acute bronchitis usually do not need IV therapy. However, if a patient with acute bronchitis also has significant gastrointestinal symptoms, poor appetite, or even drinks less water, IV therapy is needed. The purpose of IV therapy is not to treat the virus but to hydrate the patient and prevent dehydration. Of course, when a patient with acute bronchitis has purulent sputum, it indicates a bacterial infection. In this case, IV therapy can be considered. The usual treatment duration for acute bacterial bronchitis is 5-7 days, but this must also take into account the patient's specific conditions and results of tests like the complete blood count, and cannot be generalized.
Do you need to be hospitalized for acute bronchitis?
Acute bronchitis is a condition that develops quickly, occurs suddenly, and often has severe symptoms, for which hospital treatment is recommended. Hospitalization allows for effective monitoring of the condition and offers better medical facilities, including oxygen therapy and sputum extraction to relieve discomfort. The main treatment principle, apart from symptomatic treatment, involves choosing sensitive antimicrobial agents for anti-inflammatory treatment. Chest X-rays, complete blood counts, mycoplasma tests, and C-reactive protein tests can be carried out to diagnose the specific type of pathogenic infection. If acute bronchitis is caused by bacterial infection, intravenous administration of penicillin-type antibiotics can be used for anti-inflammatory treatment to control the infection. (Medications should be used under the guidance of a doctor, depending on specific circumstances.)
Can you exercise with acute bronchitis?
Common symptoms of acute bronchitis include coughing and expectoration. Some patients may experience chest tightness and shortness of breath. It is generally advised to rest during the illness period, as exercise is not recommended. Exercise increases lung capacity and the volume of air entering and leaving the airways, which can directly stimulate the respiratory tract, leading to worsened symptoms such as coughing and chest tightness. Additionally, after physical activity, the consumption of oxygen increases, which may lead to breathing through the mouth. This means the air bypasses the nasal cavity's filtering and warming, directly irritating the respiratory tract and exacerbating the symptoms of acute bronchitis. Therefore, it is advised to rest and avoid exercise, especially high-intensity activities, during an episode of acute bronchitis.
Is acute bronchitis pneumonia?
The bronchi are the organs through which air enters and exits the lungs. The bronchi and lungs are two separate organs, so inflammation occurring in the bronchi is not the same as inflammation occurring in the lungs. Thus, acute bronchitis is not pneumonia, but both conditions can exhibit similar symptoms, such as fever, coughing, and expectoration. So how do we differentiate between acute bronchitis and pneumonia? Clinically, when such symptoms appear, doctors usually recommend a lung X-ray. If the lung X-ray appears normal, or there is only an increase or thickening of lung markings, the doctor will diagnose acute bronchitis. If the lung X-ray shows imaging signs of inflammatory exudation or shadows, then the doctor will diagnose pneumonia.
Can you eat taro with acute bronchitis?
Patients with acute bronchitis can appropriately eat taro, but it is recommended that they avoid spicy, greasy, and cold foods; however, eating taro is still acceptable. Patients with acute bronchitis should also avoid drinking alcohol, coffee, strong tea, and smoking. Additionally, they should avoid excessive fatigue, staying up late, and other similar situations. For acute bronchitis patients, it's important to provide symptomatic cough treatment and monitor their condition. Although some acute bronchitis cases are caused by viral infections, and most patients have viral infections, these patients do not necessarily require antibiotic treatment. However, if a patient has conspicuous purulent sputum, it could be an indication of bacterial bronchitis, or even a possible complication with pneumonia, and these conditions require active investigation and might need anti-infection treatment.
What medicine is good for acute bronchitis?
Acute bronchitis is an acute inflammation of the bronchial mucosa, often caused by pathogenic microbial infections, as well as physical and chemical factors and allergic factors. Patients experience symptoms such as coughing, expectoration, fever, and wheezing. Generally, acute bronchitis does not require intravenous fluid treatment. It can be cured within two to three weeks through oral medication, such as oral anti-inflammatory drugs and oral cough suppressants and asthma relievers. However, in some cases, such as when symptoms are relatively severe, there is a bacterial infection, and oral medication is difficult, intravenous antibiotics can be considered for treatment.
How to manage acute bronchitis
First, it is important to rest in bed during the acute phase, drink plenty of water, keep warm, and the main principle is to control the infection and provide symptomatic treatment. For instance, patients with significant fever and those whose sputum has turned purulent should choose antibiotics early, such as intramuscular penicillin injections or oral co-trimoxazole. Generally, the medication can be stopped 1-3 days after the fever subsides. For symptomatic treatment, antipyretic analgesics such as aspirin can be used to address symptoms like fever, headache, and general fatigue. Regularly, one should strengthen their cold resistance through exercise, it is suggested to wash the face with cold water throughout the year, and to exercise more to boost immune capabilities. Pay attention to environmental hygiene, improve occupational and public health standards. Prevent the inhalation of irritant gases and dust into the respiratory tract. (Medication should be used under the guidance of a doctor based on specific circumstances.)