Symptoms of bronchitis .

When the body’s immunity is down, it becomes hard to heal itself.
When a cough is already present from a lingering cold, this is when it is more likely for bronchitis to manifest itself. In the beginning stages, the cough is normally dry. However, once the bronchitis sets in the cough is usually full of phlegm.

This cough can often last for weeks. Some of the other symptoms of bronchitis include wheezing, pain or soreness in the chest and upper abdomen, and difficulty breathing.

It your symptoms of bronchitis last for more than a couple of weeks, or your symptoms worsen with an accompanying fever, you need to call your doctor. Your doctor will first rule out pneumonia. If there is any blood produced by your cough, you also need to seek immediate medical attention.

Most bronchitis cases are caused by viral infections and can’t be treated. You normally just have to wait it out with proper rest and a lot of fluids. You can be treated for some relief though.

Do not accept any prescription of antibiotics unless it is suspected that your bronchitis was brought on by a bacterial infection instead of viral. Antibiotics will only negatively affect your immune system and will decrease your ability to fight of the infection.

Some of the most commonly used medications to treat symptoms of bronchitis include Advil, Tylenol, and aspirin. If you are 18 or younger, it is not a good idea to take aspirin though. There is a complication known as Reye’s syndrome that can prove fatal because of taking aspirin at a young age.

Make sure that you drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. It can also alleviate your itchy throat. There are various cough suppressants and expectorants that will help your cough symptoms.

When you are able to control your cough some, your symptoms of bronchitis, such as chest and abdominal pain and headaches will also decrease. There are also natural remedies used to help alleviate the symptoms of bronchitis that have expectorant or suppressant properties.