Signs Your Cough Stems from Acute Bronchitis

As one of the top 10 reasons for illness visits to primary care offices and urgent care clinics across the nation, acute bronchitis — also known as a chest cold — can leave you hacking non-stop. Luckily, it also typically resolves on its own within a few weeks. 

Here, our American River Urgent Care team discusses acute bronchitis, including how it usually develops, signs you may have it, and why you should stop by our walk-in clinic in Orangevale, California, anytime you have a concerning cough.  

From cold to persistent cough 

It began with a scratchy throat, nasal congestion, and an occasional dry cough. You thought you just had a cold — until your cough became more persistent. When your nagging cough started bringing up mucus, you wondered why your cold seemed to be getting worse just when it should be getting better.

It may be because you’ve developed the most common chest infection: acute bronchitis.  

Definition

Acute bronchitis is the inflammation and irritation of your trachea and bronchi, or the airways leading into your lungs. When irritated, these airways swell and fill with mucus, making you cough. Acute bronchitis is classified as a lower respiratory tract infection because it affects your windpipe and the bronchi within your lungs. 

Virtually all cases of acute bronchitis (about 95%) get their start with a viral infection within the upper respiratory tract (nasal cavity, mouth, throat, voice box). Viral infections that can lead to acute bronchitis include: 

• Influenza (seasonal flu), RSV, and COVID-19, which peak during the winter
• Rhinoviruses (i.e., common cold), which peak during the fall and spring  
• Enteroviruses that affect the respiratory tract, which peak in the summer

Given that the various viruses that can lead to an inflamed airway circulate year-round, acute bronchitis isn’t a “seasonal” problem; it can (and does) happen throughout the year. 

Risk factors

Anyone can experience a cold that “goes to their chest,” but you’re much more likely to develop airway inflammation on the heel of a viral infection if you:

• Smoke (or you live with a smoker)
• Have asthma or another lung disease
• Cope with environmental allergies 
• Are regularly exposed to air pollution

Living with GERD (chronic acid reflux) or an autoimmune disease that causes ongoing systemic inflammation can also make you more likely to develop acute bronchitis when you catch a cold, the flu, or another viral infection. 

Warning signs of acute bronchitis 

Often, the first warning sign of acute bronchitis is that your existing cold (or flu, etc.) just seems to be getting worse. First, your swollen airways prompt a dry, nagging cough. Then, when your irritated bronchi produce mucus, your persistent cough may turn “wet” and generate phlegm.   

A persistent cough that lasts for one to three weeks — with or without phlegm — is the main symptom of acute bronchitis. You may also experience:

• Wheezing, particularly if you have asthma
• Shortness of breath that’s worse with activity
• Sensations of chest tightness or discomfort 
• An initial low-grade fever that clears quickly
• Continuing viral symptoms (i.e., congestion)

The cough associated with acute bronchitis may persist for several weeks longer than other symptoms like fatigue and shortness of breath. So, even once you’re feeling mostly well and your bronchitis has cleared, you might continue coughing for up to four more weeks. 

A self-resolving illness, mostly

While any viral infection that leads to a chest infection is contagious, acute bronchitis is not. Instead, you get bronchitis when your airways swell and fill with mucus in response to a viral infection. Accordingly, acute bronchitis typically resolves on its own and can’t be treated with antibiotics. 

Feeling better with acute bronchitis

Given its similarity to pneumonia and COVID-19, it’s important to seek a proper diagnosis anytime you suspect you may have acute bronchitis. Indeed, we recommend stopping by our walk-in clinic whenever you have a persistent cough that concerns you.    

If our lab tests confirm the presence of a specific virus, such as influenza, we may prescribe an antiviral medication to help clear that infection more quickly. 

If you have asthma or another chronic lung disease, use your inhaler as needed. If you don’t have a lung condition and still find yourself wheezing or short of breath, we may prescribe an inhaler to help open your airways.     

Otherwise, you can feel better during your acute bronchitis by staying well hydrated, getting plenty of rest, and soothing your airways with moist air — either by running a humidifier or having regular “steam” bath sessions. 

Worried you may have bronchitis?

Got a persistent cough? Prompt diagnosis and treatment are available seven days a week at American River Urgent Care in Orangevale, California. Call 916-238-5469 today, stop by our walk-in clinic at your convenience, or use our easy online booking feature to schedule a visit anytime.