Incubation period
The incubation period is the time between the penetration of the pathogen, in this case viruses, into the body and the appearance of the first symptoms of the disease. This delay between infection and outbreak of the disease can be explained by the fact that the viruses usually first multiply locally within the cells they infect. Once this has occurred, the pathogens spread either via the blood or to neighbouring cells.
Depending on the pathogen, the incubation period of diseases can vary greatly. In the case of the viral pathogens common to bronchitis, such as parainfluenza, coxsackie or adenoviruses, this is usually 2 to 3 days. The first signs of acute bronchitis are usually a dry and painful cough. Later, a slight fever and cough with a mucilaginous, but usually clear sputum can occur. It is worth mentioning that bronchitis is contagious even before the first symptoms appear.
After /Despite antibiotics
Usually bronchitis heals without complications within a few days or sometimes even a few weeks without further treatment. Apart from the fact that a more intensive treatment of the inflammation is usually not necessary, in most cases no effective causal treatment of bronchitis is available. Strictly speaking, the group of antibiotics only includes substances that are effective against bacteria.
However, since the majority of respiratory tract infections are not caused by bacteria but by viruses, antibiotics are often of little use here. They can be particularly helpful here if there are indications of a bacterial superinfection (i.e. a bacterial infestation of the bronchial tubes based on the weakened immune system caused by the viruses). Signs of this can be yellowish-green sputum when coughing; the sputum of a viral inflammation, on the other hand, is usually clear and only occasionally interspersed with pus.
Antibiotics can also be prescribed in individual cases to prevent bacterial infestation. All this means that antibiotics usually do not change the fact that bronchitis is contagious and how long the disease lasts. The best therapy for acute bronchitis is usually to take it easy on the body, drink enough fluids and, if necessary, administer cough-relieving medication.
How contagious is bronchitis? bronchitis is contagious as a viral and/or bacterial disease. The path of viral infection is by droplet infection.
The reason for an acute, contagious bronchitis is usually viral infection. The most common pathogens are influenza, parainfluenza, rhino and adenoviruses. Less than 10% of acute bronchitis is caused by bacteria.
The incubation period is usually 2 to 3 days, the transmission and thus infection occurs by droplet infection. If there is a productive cough for at least 3 months in two consecutive years, it is called chronic bronchitis. As this often turns into chronic obstructive bronchitis, it is called grade 0 COPD.
However, the causes of COPD are quite different from those of acute bronchitis. The main reason is inhaled noxious agents. The main ones are tobacco smoking, occupational dust, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, acidic aerosols and particulate matter.
In 90% of all cases the patients are active or former smokers. About 50% of all smokers develop COPD during their lifetime. As a consequence of the chronic bronchial inflammation, the normal epithelium of the respiratory tract atrophies and remodelling reactions occur.
This leads to the formation of the so-called squamous epithelium. This is not designed to meet the actual requirements of the respiratory epithelium and is therefore not able to transport pollutants, dust or other minute particles out of the lungs. This leads to a poorer utilization of the oxygen in the lungs.
In addition, bronchial hyperreactivity occurs, which is responsible for the narrowing of the airways. Moreover, the clinical picture of COPD is not only respiratory obstruction, but also provides pulmonary emphysema. This is mainly caused by inhaled noxae.
Smoking causes the predominance of protein-splitting enzymes in the lungs. As a result, the connective tissue is reduced and the connective tissue septum between the smallest alveoli disappears. The gas exchange surface thus decreases.
In addition, the smallest blood vessels in the lungs become constricted. This leads to a backflow of blood into the right heart and thus causes hypertrophy of the right ventricle. In addition, pulmonary emphysema reduces the lung‘s restoring force (retraction force).
This leads to an occlusion of the smallest bronchial tubes during rapid exhalation. As a result, less air can be exhaled and the residual volume of the lung increases. Overall, this leads to significantly strained breathing, which ultimately becomes ineffective. There is an increase in CO2 and a reduced supply of oxygen throughout the body.
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