Bronchitis

Is your child coughing? It might be acute bronchitis.

Viruses such as influenza cause most cases of short-term, or acute, bronchitis in children. Inflammation in the bronchial tubes — airways to and from the lungs — result in a lasting cough, the most common symptom.

Acute bronchitis can also develop after upper respiratory infections. Unless the viral infection leads to a bacterial infection, antibiotics won’t be prescribed, because they are not effective in fighting off the virus that caused the bronchitis.

Symptoms, listed below, typically come on quickly and are gone for the most part in a week or two. The cough can persist for several weeks.

After starting with a dry cough, other symptoms of acute bronchitis include:

Productive, mucus-filled cough with thick white, yellow or green sputum
Shortness of breath
Runny nose
Soreness or tightness in the chest

Wheezing
Overall body discomfort
Headache
Fever and chills

Children rarely develop chronic, or long-term, bronchitis. The most common cause of chronic bronchitis is smoking. Chronically inflamed bronchial tubes increase the risk of bacterial infection like pneumonia.

When a health care provider suspects bronchitis, they will do an exam and listen to a child’s chest with a stethoscope to check for wheezing and congestion. Inflammation in the large breathing tubes makes it harder for air to pass in and out of the lungs. Inflammation in the bronchial tubes triggers the production of more mucus.

No tests are needed, but a chest X-ray may be ordered to rule out pneumonia. A breathing test would check for asthma, which can appear to be recurring bronchitis.

Treatment for Bronchitis in Kids

Bronchitis likely won’t respond to antibiotics, as it is most often caused by a virus.
Kids need plenty of rest and fluids, which will help them get over the bronchitis symptoms sooner.
Acetaminophen or ibuprofen (for children over 6 months) can help with the fever and body aches. Never give aspirin to a child, as it could cause Reye’s syndrome, a rare but serious condition that affects the brain and liver.
If your child is over age 4, your health care provider may recommend over-the-counter cough medicine.
A cool-mist humidifier can help ease the cough.
In most cases, antihistamines aren’t going to help as they’ll dry up the mucus and make the cough worse.
Your health care provider may prescribe asthma medications – delivered through an inhaler or nebulizer – to help relax and open the bronchial tubes and other airways.