Chest pain runny nose cough. Chest Pain, Runny Nose, and Cough: Understanding Acute Bronchitis

14.09.202122.07.2023 by alexxlab

What is acute bronchitis? How is it diagnosed and treated? Get the answers to these questions and more about the symptoms, causes, and complications of acute bronchitis.

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Understanding Acute Bronchitis: Causes and Symptoms

Bronchitis is the inflammation of the breathing tubes, known as the bronchi. Acute bronchitis, also called a “chest cold,” is the most common type and is usually caused by a viral infection. These infections are often the same viruses that cause the common cold or flu. Acute bronchitis can also be triggered by bacterial infections, as well as exposure to irritants such as dust, allergens, or chemical fumes.

The most common symptoms of acute bronchitis include:

Cough, initially dry but later producing a lot of mucus
Chest soreness and discomfort
Chills and feeling tired or achy
Headache
Runny nose
Slight fever
Shortness of breath
Sore throat
Watery eyes
Wheezing

Acute bronchitis often develops after a person has had a cold or other upper respiratory infection. It can also occur in individuals with chronic conditions like sinusitis, allergies, or enlarged tonsils and adenoids. People with lung or heart diseases are at a higher risk of complications from acute bronchitis, such as pneumonia.

Diagnosing Acute Bronchitis: Ruling Out Other Conditions

Healthcare providers can often diagnose acute bronchitis based on a medical history and physical examination. However, they may order additional tests to rule out other conditions, such as pneumonia or asthma. These tests may include:

Chest X-rays to examine the lungs
Arterial blood gas tests to analyze the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood
Pulse oximetry to measure the oxygen levels in the blood
Cultures of nasal discharge or sputum to identify the microorganism causing the infection
Pulmonary function tests to assess the lung’s ability to move air in and out

Treating Acute Bronchitis: Addressing the Symptoms

In most cases, acute bronchitis is a mild condition that resolves on its own without the need for antibiotics. The treatment focuses on managing the symptoms and providing relief, which may include:

Avoiding exposure to secondhand smoke
Taking cough medicine
Using a humidifier to moisten the air
Increasing fluid intake
Taking pain relievers and fever reducers, such as acetaminophen
Quitting smoking

It’s important to note that antibiotics are generally not effective against viral infections, which are the most common cause of acute bronchitis. However, if the condition progresses to pneumonia, antibiotics may become necessary.

Preventing Acute Bronchitis and Its Complications

While acute bronchitis cannot always be prevented, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk and prevent complications, such as pneumonia. Some of these measures include:

Getting the annual flu shot to help prevent the flu and associated pneumonia
Receiving the pneumococcal vaccine, especially for those at higher risk, such as children under 2, adults over 65, and individuals with certain medical conditions or who smoke
Avoiding exposure to secondhand smoke and other respiratory irritants
Practicing good hand hygiene to prevent the spread of viral infections

When to Seek Medical Attention

Most cases of acute bronchitis resolve on their own within a few weeks. However, you should contact your healthcare provider if your symptoms worsen or do not improve over time. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience severe symptoms, such as high fever, difficulty breathing, or coughing up blood.

Key Takeaways

Acute bronchitis is a common condition caused by viral or bacterial infections, as well as exposure to irritants.
Symptoms include cough, chest discomfort, fatigue, and shortness of breath.
Diagnosis often involves a physical exam and may include tests to rule out other conditions.
Treatment focuses on managing symptoms, with antibiotics rarely needed for viral cases.
Preventing acute bronchitis and its complications involves getting recommended vaccines and avoiding respiratory irritants.
Seek medical attention if symptoms worsen or do not improve within a few weeks.

Conclusion

Understanding the causes, symptoms, and management of acute bronchitis is key to recognizing and addressing this common respiratory condition. By being proactive about prevention and seeking timely medical care when needed, individuals can minimize the impact of acute bronchitis and avoid potential complications.

Acute Bronchitis | Johns Hopkins Medicine

What is acute bronchitis?

Bronchitis is inflammation of the breathing tubes. These airways are called bronchi. This inflammation causes increased mucus production and other changes. Although there are several different types of bronchitis, the most common are acute and chronic. Acute bronchitis may also be called a chest cold.

Most symptoms of acute bronchitis last for up to 2 weeks. The cough can last for up to 8 weeks in some people. Chronic bronchitis lasts a long time. It is more common among smokers.

What causes acute bronchitis?

Acute bronchitis is usually caused by a viral infection. This is most often the same viruses that cause colds and the flu. It may also be caused by a bacterial infection, or by physical or chemical agents that are breathed in. These may include dusts, allergens, and strong fumes, including those from chemical cleaning compounds or tobacco smoke.

Acute bronchitis may come after a common cold or other viral infections in the upper respiratory tract. It may also occur in people with chronic sinusitis, allergies, or those with enlarged tonsils and adenoids. It can be serious in people with lung or heart diseases. Pneumonia is a complication that can follow bronchitis.

What are the symptoms acute bronchitis?

The following are the most common symptoms of acute bronchitis. However, each person may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:

Back and muscle pain
Cough, first dry (non-productive), later, a lot of mucus is produced
Chest soreness
Chills
Feeling tired and achy
Headache
Runny nose
Slight fever
Shortness of breath
Sore throat
Watery eyes
Wheezing

The symptoms of acute bronchitis may look like other conditions or medical problems. Talk with a healthcare provider for a diagnosis.

How is acute bronchitis diagnosed?

Healthcare providers can often diagnose acute bronchitis by taking a medical history and doing physical exam. Tests may be done to rule out other diseases, such as pneumonia or asthma. Any of these tests may be used to help confirm a diagnosis:

Chest X-rays. A test that uses invisible radiation beams to make images of internal tissues, bones, and organs, including the lungs.
Arterial blood gas. This blood test is used to analyze the amount of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the blood.
Pulse oximetry. An oximeter is a small machine that measures the amount of oxygen in the blood. To get this measurement, a small sensor is taped or clipped on a finger or toe. When the machine is on, a small red light can be seen in the sensor. The sensor is painless and the red light does not get hot.
Cultures of nasal discharge and sputum. Testing the sputum you cough up or swab from your nose may be done to find and identify the microorganism causing the infection.
Pulmonary function tests. These are tests that help to measure the ability of the lungs to move air in and out of the lungs. The tests are usually done with special machines that you breathe into.

How is acute bronchitis treated?

Acute bronchitis is usually mild and does not cause complications. The symptoms often resolve on their own and lung function goes back to normal.

In most cases, antibiotics are not needed to treat acute bronchitis. That’s because most of the infections are caused by viruses. Antibiotics are not effective against viruses. If it has progressed to pneumonia, then antibiotics may be necessary.

Treatment is aimed at treating the symptoms, and may include:

Avoiding exposure to secondhand smoke
Cough medicine
Humidifying the air
Increased fluid intake
Pain relievers and fever reducers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Quitting smoking

Avoid antihistamines because they dry up the secretions and can make the cough worse.

What are the complications of acute bronchitis?

Acute bronchitis can worsen and progress to chronic bronchitis or pneumonia. If this happens, a different treatment may be necessary.

Can bronchitis be prevented?

Acute bronchitis can’t always be prevented. However, there are shots you can get to prevent its complications, such as pneumonia.

Check with your healthcare provider about getting the flu and pneumococcal shots. Getting a flu shot every year can help prevent both the flu and pneumonia. The pneumococcal shot can protect you from a common form of bacterial pneumonia.

Anyone can get pneumococcal disease. However, children younger than age 2, adults ages 65 and older, people with certain medical conditions, and smokers are at the highest risk.

When should I call my health care provider?

Most often, bronchitis resolves on its own. If your symptoms worsen or don’t get better over time, call your healthcare provider.

Key points

Bronchitis is inflammation of the breathing tubes. These airways are called bronchi. There are several different types of bronchitis. The two most common are acute and chronic.
Acute bronchitis is usually caused by the same viruses that cause colds and the flu. It may also be caused by a bacterial infection, or by physical or chemical agents that are breathed into the lungs.
The most common symptoms for acute bronchitis include cough, chest soreness, runny nose, feeling tired and achy, headache, chills, slight fever, and sore throat.
Healthcare providers can often diagnose acute bronchitis by taking a medical history and doing physical exam. Blood tests, breathing tests, and imaging tests may also be used.
In most cases, antibiotics are not needed to treat acute bronchitis. If it progresses to pneumonia, then antibiotics may be necessary. Treatment is aimed at managing the symptoms.

Next steps

Tips to help you get the most from a visit to your healthcare provider:

Know the reason for your visit and what you want to happen.
Before your visit, write down questions you want answered.
Bring someone with you to help you ask questions and remember what your healthcare provider tells you.
At the visit, write down the name of a new diagnosis, and any new medicines, treatments, or tests. Also write down any new instructions your healthcare provider gives you.
Know why a new medicine or treatment is prescribed, and how it will help you. Also know what the side effects are.
Ask if your condition can be treated in other ways.
Know why a test or procedure is recommended and what the results could mean.
Know what to expect if you do not take the medicine or have the test or procedure.
If you have a follow-up appointment, write down the date, time, and purpose for that visit.
Know how you can contact your healthcare provider if you have questions.

Bronchitis | Johns Hopkins Medicine

What is bronchitis?

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the main air passages (bronchi) to the lungs. Coughing often brings up yellow or greenish mucus. There are two main types of bronchitis: acute and chronic. Acute bronchitis, often caused by the same viruses that cause colds, usually starts as a sore throat, runny nose or sinus infection, then spreads to your airways. It can cause a lingering dry cough, but it usually goes away on its own. In chronic bronchitis, a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the inflamed bronchi produce a lot of mucus, leading to cough and difficulty getting air in and out of the lungs.

Symptoms

Symptoms of acute bronchitis include:

Cough
Shortness of breath
Wheezing
“Rattle” sensation in chest
General ill feeling, or malaise
Slight fever
Tickle feeling in back of throat that leads to soreness
Chest pain, soreness, and tightness in the chest
Poor sleep
Chills (uncommon)

Symptoms of chronic bronchitis include:

Cough that produces mucus (sputum), which may be blood streaked
Shortness of breath aggravated by exertion or mild activity
Frequent respiratory infections that worsen symptoms
Wheezing
Fatigue
Headaches

Diagnosis

Tests to diagnose acute and chronic bronchitis include:

Physical exam
Pulmonary function tests
Arterial blood gas
Chest X-ray
Pulse oximetry (oxygen saturation testing)
Complete blood count
Exercise testing
Chest CT scan

Treatment for Acute Bronchitis

Antibiotics usually aren’t helpful because acute bronchitis is almost always caused by a virus, which will not respond to antibiotics. Antibiotics are usually only needed if your doctor diagnoses you with whooping cough or pneumonia.
Medications called bronchodilators are used to open tight air passages in the lungs. Your doctor may prescribe this type of medicine if you are wheezing.
Decongestants may also help relieve symptoms of bronchitis. Medications that loosen mucus can also be prescribed, but how well they work remains uncertain.
Your doctor will tell you to drink more fluids to help thin mucus in the lungs, rest and soothe your airways by increasing humidity in the air with a cool mist humidifier.

Symptoms will usually go away within seven to 14 days if you don’t have chronic pulmonary disease. However, in some people it may take much longer for the cough to go away.

Treatment for Chronic Bronchitis

There is no cure for chronic bronchitis. Treatments to relieve symptoms and prevent complications include:

Inhaled medications that dilate (widen) the airways and decrease inflammation may help reduce symptoms such as wheezing.
Antibiotics to fight infections
Corticosteroids may occasionally be used during flare-ups of wheezing or in people with severe bronchitis that does not respond to other treatments.
Oxygen therapy may be needed in severe cases.

Treatment will help symptoms, but chronic bronchitis is a long-term condition that keeps coming back or never goes away completely.

Prevention

Good handwashing is one of the best ways to avoid getting viruses and other respiratory infections.

Since flu viruses have been shown to be a major cause of bronchitis, getting a flu shot may also help prevent acute bronchitis.
Limit exposure to cold, damp environments.

Bronchitis
Acute Bronchitis

Bronchitis
Chronic Bronchitis

Common Cold
Winter Illness Guide

why it occurs and what to do if it hurts in the chest when coughing

Published: March 24

Updated: May 31

Reading time: 4 minutes

Chest cough is the main symptom of inflammation in the airways and bronchitis. With such a cough, a person experiences an unpleasant sensation of sputum appearing in the chest area. If timely treatment of chest cough is not carried out, it can lead to complications, such as pleurisy, pneumonia.

Symptoms of chest cough

Depending on the type, course, severity of the disease, chest cough may occur in conjunction with the following symptoms:

sore throat, burning;
wheezing during or after coughing;
chest pain;
coryza;
fever, elevated body temperature;
weakness, general malaise, loss of appetite;
hoarseness of voice;
chills;
headache;
labored breathing;
sweating;
myalgia of the legs, arms, back;
shortness of breath even with slight exertion.

The appearance of one or more of these symptoms should serve as a signal for immediate medical attention to determine the diagnosis and begin treatment. Otherwise, the risk of complications increases. The primary diagnosis is carried out by the therapist, then, if necessary, refers to highly specialized specialists.

Deep chest cough may be acute or chronic. Acute appears against the background of a cold, passes within 1-3 weeks. In the early days of a respiratory infection, coughing may be due to virus-induced inflammation in the upper respiratory tract, which can progress if left untreated with further spread to the lower respiratory tract: bronchi, lung tissue. A prolonged cough is characteristic of a chronic pathology of the respiratory system; the patient may experience it for several months. Relapses occur most often in winter and in the off-season. By the nature of chest cough can be:

unproductive (dry) is a chest cough without expectoration;
unproductive — characterized by a small amount of sputum difficult to separate;
productive (wet) – with sputum, which is excreted intensively.

Causes of chest cough

Severe chest cough can be caused by infectious diseases or other factors. The most common reasons include:

bronchitis;
pneumonia;
tracheitis;
laryngitis;
pharyngitis;
inflammation of the nasopharynx – sinusitis, tonsillitis;
allergy;
asthma;
bad habits;
oncology;
parasitic infections;
diseases of the cardiovascular system;
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
inhalation of dusty, smoky or toxic air.

Only a consultation with a doctor and a detailed examination will help to determine exactly why coughing hurts in the chest area. The reasons can also be pathologies in which volumetric formations of other organs press on the airways, or fibrosing processes occur in the lungs.

Treatment of chest cough

After examination and examination, the doctor prescribes remedies for chest cough, based on the causes and course of the disease. Treatment should be complex and should be aimed at both reducing the severity of symptoms and eliminating the underlying cause of the disease .

The patient is prescribed bed rest, stay at home until complete recovery. The air in the room should be moderately humidified. It is recommended to drink plenty of warm fortified drinks: berry fruit drinks, juices, compotes, herbal teas. If the cough is unproductive, dry, it is advisable to drink non-carbonated mineral water, milk with soda. As prescribed by the doctor, the patient can do breathing exercises to help expel sputum and cleanse the bronchi.

The doctor may prescribe medicines taking into account the nature and nature of the cough: antiviral drugs, antibiotics, antihistamines, mucolytics, drugs that restore bronchial patency. To alleviate the condition, it is recommended to use drugs that promote sputum discharge, reduce inflammation.

Rengalin is indicated for productive and non-productive cough. It has a three-component composition, due to which the activity of the cough center is regulated, it has an anti-inflammatory, bronchodilator effect. Rengalin is combined with other antitussive drugs – mucolytics, secretolytics. The drug is suitable for adults and children from the age of three, it is produced in two forms: an oral solution and lozenges.

Physiotherapy and herbal medicine may also be indicated for chest cough. On the recommendation of a doctor, you can use mustard plasters and compresses in the absence of allergies. If the disease acquires a complicated course, or the patient’s condition is acute and requires urgent therapeutic measures, such as an asthma attack, acute stenosing laryngotracheitis, urgent hospitalization is required.

Pain when coughing – the causes of occurrence, in which diseases it occurs, diagnosis and methods of treatment

Fungus

Ulcer

Tracheitis

Pneumonia

Pleurisy

Gastroesophageal reflux

Lung cancer

Pericarditis

Neuralgia

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09December

Pain when coughing: causes of occurrence, in which diseases it occurs, diagnosis and methods of treatment.

Definition

Cough pain is most often associated with respiratory diseases and is localized in the chest.

The respiratory system consists of the upper respiratory tract (nasal cavity, larynx) and the lower respiratory tract (trachea, bronchi and lungs). The air passing through the respiratory tract is purified, warmed, moistened. At the end of the smallest bronchi (bronchioles) are the alveolar passages and alveolar sacs, in which gas exchange occurs. Respiratory bronchioles, alveolar ducts and alveolar sacs with alveoli make up the alveolar tree, or respiratory parenchyma of the lung. The listed structures, originating from one terminal bronchiole, form a functional-anatomical unit – the acinus. The alveolar ducts and sacs belonging to one respiratory bronchiole make up the primary lobule (there are about 16 of them in each acinus). The number of acini in both lungs reaches 30,000, and the alveoli – 300-350 million. Slices are made up of acini, segments are made of lobules, lobes are made of segments, and the whole lung is made of lobes.

Each lung is enclosed in a double membrane – two sheets of pleura, between which there is an airtight pleural cavity filled with a very small amount of fluid.

Cough is a protective reaction of the body to any irritation of the respiratory tract. Irritants of cough receptors can be sputum, blood in the respiratory tract, nasal mucus flowing down the back of the throat, various allergens, smoke, dust, foreign bodies, cold air, some drugs, etc.

Varieties of pain when coughing

Pain when coughing can be strong or weak intensity, acute or dull, limited or spilled. Localization of pain depends on the cause of the cough and on the affected organ. It can be felt in the throat, behind the sternum, inside the chest, under the ribs, in the back, abdomen, and radiate to the head. Cough and pain can be both symptoms of the same disease, and independent of each other.

Possible causes of pain when coughing

The following causes of pain when coughing are distinguished:

overstrain of the respiratory muscles involved in coughing;
diseases of the respiratory system;
heart disease;
injuries and diseases of the bones, muscles and nerves of the chest;
diseases of the digestive system;
kidney disease, etc.

What diseases cause pain when coughing?

In diseases accompanied by a constant painful cough, the intercostal muscles and the diaphragm are overstrained, which is manifested by dull, diffuse muscle pain.

When inflammation of the mucous membrane of the trachea (with tracheitis) occurs dry, loud, hoarse, rough cough, which is characterized by burning and pain behind the sternum.

The severity of the pain decreases when a dry cough turns into a wet one. Tracheitis is more often infectious, caused by viruses or bacteria.

In patients, the general state of health worsens, the body temperature rises.

With inflammation of the lungs (pneumonia) there is a deep cough with sputum, there is pain in the chest in the projection of the inflamed area of the lung.

The pain increases with coughing and deep inspiration due to the movement of the pleura, and decreases if the patient lies on the side of the affected lung.

Inflammation of the lungs can be primary, in which case the disease begins acutely – with chills, weakness, fever up to 38-39°C, accompanied by cough and difficulty breathing, more often proceeds as a lobar lesion, that is, the inflammatory process captures the whole lobe with the involvement of a large area of the pleura. And it happens secondary, when inflammation passes from the bronchi to the lung tissue. A focus of bronchopneumonia occurs, but even in this case the pleura may become inflamed, with the only difference being that the size of the lesion is much smaller. Pneumonia can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites.

Pleurisy (inflammation of the pleura) may or may not be infectious. Infectious pleurisy occurs with pneumonia, lung abscess, bronchiectasis (expansion and deformation of the bronchi with the development of chronic purulent inflammation), tuberculosis, abscess under the diaphragm, inflammation of the perirenal adipose tissue, inflammation of the pancreas. Non-infectious pleurisy is caused by systemic diseases of the connective tissue (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, etc.), the spread of tumor cells to the pleura, a decrease in the pumping function of the heart (for example, with myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism), chest trauma (closed fracture of the ribs), etc. Pleurisy can be dry, in this case the amount of fluid in the pleural cavity decreases, the inflamed pleura sheets do not slide, but rub against each other when breathing, which provokes a very painful reflex cough, which increases with inspiration. Pleurisy is exudative when, due to the inflammatory process, fluid is secreted and accumulates in the pleural cavity. During the period of fluid accumulation, the clinical picture is similar to dry pleurisy, then the fluid pushes the pleura sheets apart, the pain becomes weaker, but at the same time, due to compression of the lung, shortness of breath occurs.

With gastroesophageal reflux disease , due to the reflux of acidic gastric contents into the esophagus, its mucous membrane becomes inflamed, heartburn, sour belching, pain, burning behind the sternum and cough, which aggravates the pain, are observed.

The lung tissue does not have pain receptors, therefore in lung cancer pain appears when tumor cells grow into the surrounding tissues – the pleura, trachea, bronchi, etc. In this case, the patient is worried about a painful cough, often with blood. General well-being worsens, weakness, weight loss for no apparent reason worries.

A similar situation occurs if metastases from other organs enter the lungs, this can be with cancer of the breast, stomach, esophagus, rectum, skin (melanoma), kidneys, liver, etc. It can be caused by heart diseases (myocardial infarction, inflammation of the heart muscle, etc.), various infections, systemic connective tissue diseases, heart injuries, tumors, etc. Dry pericarditis is accompanied by gradually increasing dull, pressing pain behind the sternum, radiating to the neck, left shoulder blade. In this case, there is a rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, dry cough, which increases the pain. As fluid accumulates between the sheets of the pericardium, the condition worsens due to compression of the heart.

Intercostal neuralgia occurs when the intercostal nerve is compressed at the level of exit from the spine or along its course. It is manifested by acute, aching pain, aggravated during a deep breath and cough.

Cough increases pressure in the abdominal cavity and pelvic area, so in inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (for example, appendicitis), pelvic organs (for example, inflammation of the ovaries), hernias (white line of the abdomen, umbilical, inguinal) cough can provoke or increase existing pain.

The brain and spinal cord is washed with cerebrospinal fluid, its fluctuations when coughing increase intracranial pressure , headache occurs. This process can be of a natural nature, or it can hide serious diseases: volumetric formations in the cranial cavity, vascular anomalies that prevent the movement of cerebrospinal fluid.

Which doctors to contact?

First of all, you should refer to
general practitioner or general practitioner, and he, if necessary, will refer you for a consultation with a specialist (
gastroenterologist,
neurologist
cardiologist, etc. ).

Diagnosis and examination in case of pain when coughing

To identify the causes of pain when coughing, the doctor collects an anamnesis, conducts a thorough examination of the patient and prescribes additional laboratory and instrumental studies.

Clinical blood test with expanded leukocyte formula.

ECG without interpretation

ECG is a study based on the registration of biopotentials of the heart. It is used to diagnose the functional activity of the myocardium.

RUB 890

Gastroscopy

Examination of the mucous membrane of the upper gastrointestinal tract with the possibility of performing a biopsy or endoscopic removal of small pathological…

4 490 rubles

What should I do if I have pain when coughing?

Cough pain is a reason to see a specialist.

If the pain is of high intensity or is accompanied by a deterioration in well-being, a rise in body temperature, increasing shortness of breath, heart palpitations, hemoptysis, nausea, vomiting and other serious symptoms, seeking medical help should be immediate.

Cough pain treatment

Pain when coughing is only a symptom, therefore, to eliminate it, the underlying disease is treated.

In infectious and inflammatory lesions of the respiratory system, antiviral, antibacterial and other drugs that affect the infectious agent are used. Symptomatic treatment is carried out with anti-inflammatory, sputum-thinning and expectorant drugs, less often – drugs that stop coughing.

If pleurisy or pericarditis has an effusion (accumulation of fluid in a cavity), puncture the lung or heart membrane to remove the fluid and unload the lungs or heart.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is treated with drugs that reduce the acidity of gastric juice and reduce its amount, as well as drugs that speed up the passage of food through the gastrointestinal tract.