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What Causes Chest Congestion Inspite Of Being On Antibiotics For Bronchitis?
Non smoker. Diagnosed with Bronchitis mid-June 2015 and treated with Antibiotics but after 10 days feel sick again and was given a second course of antibiotics which caused a severe allergic reaction (with penicillin based antibiotic) was admitted in hospital with sputum test for H1N1 , TB and CBC was done too. All tests negative. Discharged end of June however have had cough and phelgm on an off. At times slight difficulty in breathing. Chest x-rays were done (26 Jun or so) and pulmonologist looked at them confirming lungs are clear. Still having regular thick phelgm (yellow in colour)- sensitive to smoke and dust
Mon, 28 Sep 2015
Hello,
Thank you for using HCM.
If cough and sputum production happens for more than 3 months diagnosis of chronic bronchitis is considered. This is inflammation of the inner layers of the airways. If you would have been a smoker you would need to quit. There also other irritants of the airway depends on the work you do and need to be avoided. (we call them pneumoconiosis- when irritating substances are deposited in the airways). Sometimes there are some familial cases of chronic lung damage also and not external irritants found.
Chest xray may have some changes but sometimes may be normal. A good test for diagnosis is spirometry- it tells us how the airways and the lung tissue is working.
If chronic bronchitis is the diagnosis than you will need some inhalers (to take them daily) to help reduce the inflammation of the airway. Sometimes it gets complicated with infection and in this case cough and phlegm gets worse and fever may spike. In this case Antibiotics may be needed.
There are other causes of cough and sputum production also: acid reflux from the stomach, chronic rhinitis (inflammation of nose inner layers due to allergy, ect) and your doctor has to decide which is the cause of it and treat you accordingly. Sometimes a CT scan of the chest might be needed to have a better visualization of the lungs and rule out other lesions in the lungs as cause of the symptoms.
Hope this is helpful and answers to your question
Thank you for using HCM.
If cough and sputum production happens for more than 3 months diagnosis of chronic bronchitis is considered. This is inflammation of the inner layers of the airways. If you would have been a smoker you would need to quit. There also other irritants of the airway depends on the work you do and need to be avoided. (we call them pneumoconiosis- when irritating substances are deposited in the airways). Sometimes there are some familial cases of chronic lung damage also and not external irritants found.
Chest xray may have some changes but sometimes may be normal. A good test for diagnosis is spirometry- it tells us how the airways and the lung tissue is working.
If chronic bronchitis is the diagnosis than you will need some inhalers (to take them daily) to help reduce the inflammation of the airway. Sometimes it gets complicated with infection and in this case cough and phlegm gets worse and fever may spike. In this case Antibiotics may be needed.
There are other causes of cough and sputum production also: acid reflux from the stomach, chronic rhinitis (inflammation of nose inner layers due to allergy, ect) and your doctor has to decide which is the cause of it and treat you accordingly. Sometimes a CT scan of the chest might be needed to have a better visualization of the lungs and rule out other lesions in the lungs as cause of the symptoms.
Hope this is helpful and answers to your question
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