Can acute bronchitis be prevented?

Acute bronchitis is caused by infection with pathogens such as viruses or bacteria. It is more common in infants and young children, often secondary to upper respiratory tract infection. It is an early manifestation of pneumonia. Patients with acute bronchitis will have severe cough and wheezing symptoms, which can also occur in people with normal lungs. Some patients will also have fever symptoms, which directly affect normal work and life, but it can be well improved through regular anti-inflammatory and antiviral treatments. This type of disease can be cured and the prognosis is relatively good. For the disease of acute bronchitis, people still need to do a better job of preventing this disease, regular prevention and treatment to reduce the number of illnesses, and improve people's quality of life. At present, many people still don’t know enough about acute bronchitis. The following is the popularization of acute bronchitis knowledge, hoping to help people learn more about the disease.

1. Symptoms of acute bronchitis

(1) Typical symptoms: ① Cough and sputum: At the beginning, it is a dry cough or a small amount of mucus sputum. As the disease progresses, the amount of sputum gradually increases, and the cough symptoms accelerate. If the cough symptom does not improve for a long time, it will gradually develop into chronic bronchitis. ② Wheezing: When accompanied by bronchospasm, there will be varying degrees of wheezing. ③ Chest tightness and shortness of breath: Some patients with acute bronchitis will experience chest tightness and shortness of breath when they have airway hyperresponsiveness. ④ Fever: After some patients are infected with microorganisms, they will have symptoms of fever and fever. ⑤ Nasal congestion: Some patients with acute bronchitis will experience nasal congestion and runny nose. (2) Other symptoms: Some patients with acute bronchitis will experience systemic symptoms such as fatigue, headache, and body aches. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or other underlying lung diseases will have more severe symptoms of the primary disease. For example, some patients will experience cyanosis and dyspnea. (3) Complications: ① A small number of patients may develop pneumonia. Occasionally, severe coughing may induce rib fractures and be accompanied by symptoms such as syncope, vomiting, and urinary incontinence. ② If the cough of patients with acute bronchitis does not improve for a long time, it will gradually turn into chronic bronchitis, or even more serious complications, such as acute respiratory failure.

2. Populations prone to acute bronchitis

(1) People with low immune function: Healthy people have a certain degree of immunity to microbial infection, and generally do not cause illness. Only when the systemic immune function is low, such as patients with blood system diseases, malignant tumors, liver diseases, chronic diseases who take medication for a long time, etc., viruses, bacteria, microorganisms, etc. will induce acute bronchitis. (2) Middle-aged and elderly people and children: Because middle-aged and elderly people and children have low resistance, they are more susceptible to acute bronchitis.

3. Preventive measures for acute bronchitis

(1) Actively control infection: In the acute stage, you need to follow the doctor's advice and choose effective antibacterial drugs for treatment. Common antibacterial drugs include strong toxins, erythromycin, penicillin, etc., but you need to pay attention to whether you are allergic to them when taking them. If you are allergic, it is very likely to cause serious life-threatening danger. When the above antibacterial drugs are ineffective, you can choose unused drugs or less used drugs, such as medetomidine, cephalosporin, etc. After the acute infection is well controlled, you need to stop taking antibacterial drugs immediately to avoid serious side effects caused by long-term use of antibacterial drugs. (2) Quit smoking: Patients with lung diseases need to quit smoking because chemicals in smoke, such as nicotine and tar, can cause bronchospasm and damage bronchial mucosal epithelial cells, leading to increased bronchial mucosal secretions, reducing the purification function of the lungs, and allowing bacteria to multiply more in the bronchi, which can easily cause bronchitis. (3) Maintain a good home environment: Open windows regularly to ventilate and keep the indoor air fresh. The indoor humidity should also be high to effectively improve the secretion and ventilation functions of the alveoli and reduce the probability of acute bronchitis. (4) Reduce going out: When the virus is spreading more seriously, try to reduce going out. Wear appropriate protective measures on the way to work and school, wear a mask when traveling, and do not communicate with outsiders as much as possible to prevent the virus as effectively as possible. (5) Pay attention to hand hygiene: Do not touch your mouth and nose with unwashed hands. It is best to wash your hands before returning home. (6) It is recommended that middle-aged and elderly people or children with low immunity receive the corresponding influenza vaccine. (7) Keep warm in winter: Winter is the season when many influenza and viruses are prevalent. It is even more important to pay attention to the weather forecast and keep warm in winter to effectively avoid upper respiratory tract infections.

4. Precautions for acute bronchitis

(1) Home care: Acute bronchitis patients need to improve their living environment in daily life and reduce the inhalation of irritating gases. When the room is too dry, a humidifier can be placed in the room to ensure the moistening of the patient's nasal mucosa. At the same time, they should avoid catching cold and overwork during the illness. (2) Do a good job of disease monitoring: If the patient with acute bronchitis is older, then you need to pay more attention to observe the changes in the condition. If the cough lasts for a long time and is not relieved for a long time, go to a regular hospital for effective investigation of the cause, such as concurrent pneumonia, or whether it is respiratory symptoms caused by asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease, etc. (3) Take medicine on time: Acute bronchitis patients need to follow the doctor's advice during treatment and take the corresponding treatment drugs. Patients with severe cough can go to a regular hospital for prescription drugs, such as dextromethorphan hydrobromide tablets, pentoxyverine citrate tablets, etc. For patients with a lot of sputum, they need to receive nebulization treatment. If it is a bacterial infection, anti-inflammatory drugs need to be used for treatment. Patients with acute bronchitis need to take medications on time and in the prescribed amount. They should not change the dosage of medications at will, nor should they stop taking medications without permission. This is likely to aggravate the patient's condition and will not heal for a long time. (4) Dietary precautions: ① For those with wind-cold attacking the lungs: they can eat scallion, ginger and other pungent, warm and heat-inducing foods. ② For those with wind-heat attacking the lungs: they can eat pungent and cool foods, such as pears and white radishes. ③ For those with wind-heat injuring the lungs: they can eat more fresh vegetables, pears, loquats and other foods. ④ For those with phlegm-heat in the lungs: they can eat more foods that strengthen the spleen and resolve phlegm, such as barley porridge, yam porridge and other foods.

Author: Zhang Jiansi Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University