Understanding Paediatric Bronchitis and What Causes It?

How would you understand if your child is infected with acute bronchitis? It is a deep, chesty cough that will keep your little one up all night.

Acute bronchitis also known as chest cold, is an illness where the airways to the lungs known as bronchi swell and broaden as the air goes in and make excess mucus. This cough comes on suddenly and generally goes away within weeks.

With no specific treatment necessary, if a normal cough extends more than four weeks then your child is possibly suffering acute bronchitis which is generally caused by a viral infection.This is known as viral bronchitis and this can be treated only after contacting the best doctor for bronchitis in Kolkata. Do not try any home remedies as they won’t work on this.

Here’s more about what symptoms your child may experience with bronchitis and what causes the condition. 

What is Bronchitis in Kids? 

Bronchitis is a disease that appears in the lining of the large breathing tubes and gets inflamed, swollen and red. These airways, called the bronchial tubes, connect the windpipe to the lungs. Their delicate lining forms mucus, covers and protects the organs and tissues while breathing.

Bronchitis symptoms in kids

Cough is the most obvious sign you will notice if your child has bronchitis. The cough may start with or without mucus that may have quite a few range in colour from clear to yellow, grey, or green. The colour does not indicate the presence of a bacterial infection but  your little one may also say their chest hurts while coughing.

Apart from that other symptoms include:

• Fever

• Sore throat

• Headache or body aches

• Fatigue

• Chills

• Stuffy nose

• Wheezing and shortness of breath 

If such symptoms are noticed, then you take your child to some specialist , be sure to discuss them with the best doctor for bronchitis in Kolkata. 

What causes Bronchitis in Kids? 

There are different types of bronchitis depending on the cause . Before making a plan for treatment, your child’s doctor needs to determine whether your child’s bronchitis is acute or chronic or bacterial. 

• Viral bronchitis

According to specialists, acute bronchitis may be caused by an upper respiratory virus like common cold or flu. This is known as viral bronchitis. The illness may take up to 7 to 10 days. At times the cough may linger for up to 3 weeks. 

• Bacterial bronchitis

If acute bronchitis happens in response to bacteria that is in the bronchi, it’s called bacterial bronchitis.This type of bronchitis is not as common as viral bronchitis. But the symptoms may be similar to Viral Bronchitis and be short in duration.

• Chronic bronchitis

Chronic bronchitis stays longer than usual like for 4 weeks or beyond and can come back after treatment. Smoking and other habits are associated with such types of  bronchitis. For this reason, it’s not often diagnosed in kids.

Final Words 

Do your best to keep your little one comfortable, protected and well hydrated. Report any unusual red flags or any of the above mentioned symptoms to the best doctor for bronchitis in Kolkata.

If your child gets bronchitis often, follow up with the doctor to rule out chronic conditions that may be in the scene.