Is Acute Bronchitis Contagious?

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Is Acute Bronchitis Contagious? The bronchial tubes deliver air to the lungs, when these tubes get inflamed, mucus is formed which causes coughing and breathing problems and this is known as bronchitis. Acute bronchitis is developed by a viral chest infection. This infection can be caused by different types of viruses. Acute virus is the ninth most common illness due to which people visit a doctor and around 5% of adults suffer from acute bronchitis every year. The difference between acute and chronic bronchitis is that acute bronchitis lasts for less than 10 days but the coughing can last for couple of weeks even thought the inflammation is cleared. Whereas, chronic bronchitis lasts for a few weeks and keeps coming back, this problem is common among people who suffer from asthma or emphysema. Acute bronchitis can be contagious if the virus or a bacterium that causes the infection is contagious. In most of the cases the patient suffering from acute bronchitis is contagious. The infection is contagious as long as the symptoms last in the patient. But in some cases the infection is contagious even before the patient starts experiencing the symptoms. Some of the viruses that cause acute bronchitis are – Influenza, parainfluenza, RSV, rhinovirus, adenovirus and corona virus. Acute bronchitis that is caused due to exposure to pollutants, tobacco smoke or any other environmental factors is not contagious. What are the symptoms of acute bronchitis? There are no specific symptoms for acute bronchitis, the signs and symptoms are similar to other infections which include – chronic cough, chronic bronchitis, postnasal drip and pneumonia. Therefore only a doctor will be able to diagnose the actual cause of the symptoms the patient is suffering from. Some of the symptoms are;  Coughing which can continue for a few weeks and consists of clear or colored mucus  Difficulty in breathing  Wheezing


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