The infection that happens in the bronchial tubes is mostly caused by viruses, which attack the lining of your bronchial tree. What you usually feel is swelling, accompanied by mucus and cough. When your body tries to fight back and eliminate the infection, more mucus and even more swelling is produced. Fighting the viruses takes some time and you may stay seek somewhere between two and three weeks.



The most common virus that produces acute bronchitis is the same that causes cold. Although there are also cases of bacteria causing acute bronchitis, they are very rare. Recent studies have shown that a fungus can cause acute bronchitis in lesser cases that we thought possible.

As viruses travel through air, it is enough to breath the same air with a person that carries to virus to get acute bronchitis. Also if somebody coughs onto his hand and you then touch that hand, the virus is carried from that person to you and again acute bronchitis threatens you. Things get even more serious if you are a smoker or live, work in places that are full of smoke. The smoke causes damage to your bronchial tubes, so you are more likely to get acute bronchitis.

Luckily, acute bronchitis is not a very serious condition and most of the cases go away after one week. You can help more by getting a lot of rest, drink as much fluids as you can and try to increase your environment' s hunidity as much as possible.

Antibiotics do not work for acute bronchitis, because this ilness is mostly cause by viruses. If doctors do prefer to prescribe medication for acute bronchitis, these are almost the same as used for asthma. What these drugs do is clear the mucus from your bronchial tubes and allow the air to flow more fluently.

Coughing is the trade mark for acute bronchitis. This can be relieved by taking cough drops or other medication that your doctor prescribes you. But if coughing lasts more than three weeks and is present mostly at night, you should see a doctor to determine if there are other complications. If you cough blood and have a high fever, than this should be another reason for concern and you should pay a visit to the doctor as soon as possible.