Introduction
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the lower airways. The duration of bronchitis depends largely on whether the course is acute or chronic. An acute course should last several weeks, but symptoms should subside after one or two weeks.
Duration of complaints
The duration of the symptoms of bronchitis depends on whether it is an acute or chronic form of bronchitis. While the acute and often purulent form is caused by pathogens such as viruses or bacteria, chronic bronchitis is based on chronic inflammation of the lower respiratory tract as a result of permanent damage to the lung tissue and the body’s own lung cleansing system. Due to the different causes of the two clinical pictures, the duration of the symptoms is also different.
Acute bronchitis usually lasts for about two weeks, but the cough can be somewhat longer and last up to 4 – 6 weeks. By contrast, a definition from the WHO states that chronic bronchitis is present if the patient suffers from a productive cough for at least 3 months within two years. This could also be interesting for you: Cough relieverThe duration of acute bronchitis is usually about two weeks in an uncomplicated case.
The incubation period, i.e. the time between infection with the corresponding pathogen and the actual appearance of the first symptoms of the disease, is usually 2 to 7 days in the case of a viral cause and is independent of the above-mentioned duration of the disease or is not counted. It also plays a role whether the pathogens are viruses (viral bronchitis), as in most cases, or whether an additional infection with bacteria (so-called superinfection) occurs during the course of the disease. Furthermore, the duration of an acute bronchitis depends on additional circumstances such as the general health of the person affected, the nutritional status, drinking quantity and diet, the age of the patient, the presence of other diseases or an immune deficiency and behaviour during the disease phase.
This means that it can have an influence on the course of the disease whether one spares oneself physically during the acute phase of the disease and reduces one’s workload or whether one is physically active and exposed to a lot of stress. In this case, stress can additionally burden the immune system. As with all chronic illnesses, the word “chronic” indicates that the disease process is gradually progressing and lasts longer.
It is difficult to make a general statement about the duration of chronic diseases, as the course of the disease depends very much on the individual affected. The general physical condition, age, any immune deficiency or accompanying diseases and, in the case of chronic bronchitis, possibly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), eating and drinking habits, care status/care situation and lifestyle play a major role in the course of chronic bronchitis. It also depends on the stage of chronic bronchitis. If it is a simple chronic bronchitis, it can heal without consequences after a few months. However, if it is an advanced and/or obstructive form, it is possible that the bronchitis will not heal and it is only possible to prevent the disease process from progressing therapeutically.
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