Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Acute bronchitis natural history
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Acute bronchitis is a self limited respiratory disease with an excellent prognosis which resolves within two weeks in majority of patients.
Natural History
Natural History
If left untreated, acute bronchitis usually resolves within 2 weeks although it may last up to 2 months.[1][2]
When bronchitis is prolonged, consider:
- Mycoplasma pneumonia
- Chlamydia pneumoniae
- Bordetella pertussis. 13% to 32% of adolescents and adults with a cough lasting six days or more may have B. pertussis.[3][4]
Also consider pneumonia and atypical pneumonia.
Complications
Complications
The most common complication of acute bronchitis is persistent cough that my last for 6 weeks.[5] Rarely, in patients with immunosuppression or other debilitating disease, pneumonia occurs as a complication.[6]
Prognosis
Prognosis
Prognosis is generally excellent and most of patients recover after 5-10 days.[5] Recurrent episodes of acute bronchitis in subsequent years occur in 20% of patients.[6]
References
References
- ↑ Gonzales R, Sande MA (2000). “Uncomplicated acute bronchitis”. Ann. Intern. Med. 133 (12): 981–91. PMID 11119400.
- ↑ Landau LI (2006). “Acute and chronic cough”. Paediatr Respir Rev. 7 Suppl 1: S64–7. doi:10.1016/j.prrv.2006.04.172. PMID 16798599.
- ↑ Hewlett EL, Edwards KM (2005). “Clinical practice. Pertussis–not just for kids”. N. Engl. J. Med. 352 (12): 1215–22. doi:10.1056/NEJMcp041025. PMID 15788498.
- ↑ Cornia PB, Lipsky BA, Saint S, Gonzales R (2007). “Clinical problem-solving. Nothing to cough at–a 73-year-old man presented to the emergency department with a 4-day history of nonproductive cough that worsened at night”. N. Engl. J. Med. 357 (14): 1432–7. doi:10.1056/NEJMcps062357. PMID 17914045.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Wenzel RP, Fowler AA (2006). “Clinical practice. Acute bronchitis”. N. Engl. J. Med. 355 (20): 2125–30. doi:10.1056/NEJMcp061493. PMID 17108344.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Albert RH (2010). “Diagnosis and treatment of acute bronchitis”. Am Fam Physician. 82 (11): 1345–50. PMID 21121518.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Seyedmahdi Pahlavani, M.D. [2]