Bronchitis

Acute bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchial tubes that carry air to the lungs, most often caused by the same viruses responsible for colds and the flu, and commonly follows one of those infections.

Symptoms

The hallmark symptom is a cough — often producing clear, yellow, or green mucus — that can last two to three weeks even after other symptoms resolve. Fatigue, mild chest discomfort, sore throat, and a low-grade fever are also common.

Why Antibiotics Usually Aren't Needed

Because acute bronchitis is almost always viral, antibiotics generally don't help and aren't recommended unless a secondary bacterial infection is suspected — a distinction a doctor makes clinically rather than something to assume based on symptoms alone.

Treatment

Rest, fluids, a humidifier, and over-the-counter cough or pain medication can ease symptoms while the airways heal; a cough that lingers for a few weeks after other symptoms clear is common and doesn't necessarily mean ongoing infection.

Smoking and Prevention

Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke or other airway irritants is the leading modifiable risk factor for more severe and longer-lasting bronchitis, and can also raise the risk of it progressing to chronic bronchitis over time. Avoiding smoke exposure is the single most effective prevention step, and smokers with a persistent or worsening cough should be evaluated sooner rather than waiting the usual few weeks.

Bronchitis vs. Pneumonia

The two can feel similar at first, but pneumonia more often causes a higher fever, chills, chest pain that worsens with breathing, and more pronounced shortness of breath — a doctor can distinguish them, sometimes with a chest listen or X-ray if pneumonia is suspected.

When to See a Doctor

See a doctor if the cough lasts more than three weeks, is accompanied by high fever, blood in the mucus, or worsening shortness of breath, or if you have an underlying lung or heart condition.