Bronchitis: symptoms, treatment and relief by video in Puerto Rico

Acute bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchial tubes, the airways that carry air to your lungs. A virus causes it almost every time, and it often starts after a cold, the flu or COVID-19.

Symptoms last less than three weeks, and the cough is often the last thing to go. If your cough lasts longer than three weeks, or you keep getting bronchitis, the doctor looks for another cause such as asthma, allergies or acid reflux.

Acute vs chronic bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis is a different, long-term condition: a cough with mucus on most days that keeps coming back, mostly from cigarette smoke. It is a type of COPD. According to MedlinePlus, if you smoke, quitting smoking is the most important step to treat it and the best way to prevent it. If that sounds like you, the doctor evaluates you by video, gives you any lab orders you need and tells you the next step.

Booking is simple:

A doctor visit has the same price for every age, with no membership and no insurance needed. You are charged when you request the visit, with a full refund if the clinic can’t see you. A doctor's note after your visit is included at no extra charge. See all prices.

The most common symptoms of acute bronchitis are:

• Cough with or without mucus
• Tiredness
• Congestion
• Sore throat
• Mild body aches

Antibiotics? Almost never needed. Acute bronchitis is usually caused by a virus, and the CDC says antibiotics will not help you feel better, even when bacteria are involved. Taking them when they are not needed can cause side effects and adds to antibiotic resistance. That is why a Z-Pak (azithromycin) usually does not help acute bronchitis. The CDC notes that pneumonia and whooping cough can look like bronchitis, and those are usually treated with antibiotics; if the doctor finds one of them or another condition that needs treatment, she explains it and treats it.

Relief at home. The CDC recommends rest and plenty of fluids; a humidifier or steam, for example from a hot shower; saline nasal products; throat lozenges for adults and older children; and honey, only for anyone 1 year or older. Some over-the-counter medicines ease symptoms for a while; the doctor tells you which are safe for you.

Tests. Bronchitis is diagnosed from your symptoms. Pneumonia is a lung infection that tends to cause higher fever, feeling much sicker and trouble breathing; if the doctor suspects it, she gives you an order for a chest X-ray or lab tests near you. Asthma causes wheezing, shortness of breath and coughing that keep coming back. For other kinds of cough, see cough.

The CDC recommends getting care if a fever lasts more than 5 days, you cough up bloody mucus, you are short of breath, symptoms last more than 3 weeks, or you keep getting bronchitis.

We see children of all ages, with a parent or legal guardian on camera for the whole visit. The doctor evaluates your child's cough by video and explains how to ease it. For their safety, do not give over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to children under 4, or honey to babies under 1.

See also cough and cold in children.

For your safety, call 911 or go to the emergency room if you have any of these signs. More in when to go to the ER.

• Severe trouble breathing or shortness of breath at rest
• Chest pain
• Blue lips or face
• Coughing up blood, or a fever of 104 °F (40 °C) or higher
• In children: fast breathing, skin pulling in between the ribs, flaring nostrils or noisy breathing