Is Bronchitis Contagious?

Bronchitis, a more serious condition than the common cold, often leads to relentless coughing, resulting in discomfort even in the rib area, along with sore throats, yellowish mucus, and other cold-like afflictions.

Similar to the common cold, acute bronchitis is contagious, but how long should you stay away from school, work, or social activities when you’re dealing with bronchitis? This blog will equip you with the ins and outs of bronchitis and the knowledge to identify its symptoms.

What Are the Types of Bronchitis?

Bronchitis can be contagious, depending on the type.

• Chronic bronchitis, which is not contagious, involves persistent inflammation of the airway, lasting at least three months and recurring over two years. This condition is a serious lung disease and falls under the category of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• Acute bronchitis, however, typically lasts one to three weeks and is often caused by cold or flu viruses. As these viruses are communicable, acute bronchitis can also be contagious.

Who Does Bronchitis Affect?

Bronchitis can impact individuals of every age group, yet it is most prevalent among younger children, particularly those under the age of five. This condition generally occurs during the winter months, and the typical symptoms include a cold, sore throat, or flu.

How Does Bronchitis Affect My Body?

Acute bronchitis is caused by the same bacteria or viruses responsible for the common cold and influenza.

When you suffer from bacterial or viral acute bronchitis, you become infectious, with a high chance of transmitting the infection to others. The bacteria or virus responsible for their bronchitis can be transmitted through various means:

• Coughing
• Speaking
• Sneezing
• Close contact with others
• Touching doorknobs or other shared surfaces

Note: Bacterial bronchitis can progress into bacterial pneumonia. The bacteria responsible for bacterial bronchitis are typically the same culprits behind pneumonia, often Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae.

What Are the Symptoms of Bronchitis?

Common bronchitis symptoms and signs encompass:

• Persistent nighttime coughing
• Chest discomfort due to frequent coughing
• Throat soreness caused by coughing
• Prolonged fatigue, constant headaches, and bodily discomfort
• A mild fever

Seek medical assistance if you experience any of these symptoms.

What Causes Bronchitis?

Bronchitis is typically a result of viral infections, although a wide range of irritants can also contribute to this condition. Some of them are listed below:

• Viruses: Viruses known to trigger bronchitis comprise respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza (the flu), adenovirus, coronaviruses, and rhinovirus (causing the common cold).
• Bacteria: Bacterial infections can also induce bronchitis, with culprits such as Bordetella pertussis, Mycoplasma pneumonia, and Chlamydia pneumonia.
• Environmental Factors: Environmental pollutants, including air pollution, can irritate the airways and contribute to bronchitis.
• Tobacco and Marijuana Smoke: Smoking, whether it’s cigarettes or marijuana (cannabis), is a significant risk factor for bronchitis development.

Is Bronchitis Contagious?

Bronchitis is not completely contagious; however, its underlying causes can be. If a viral infection causes your bronchitis, you can be contagious for a period ranging from a few days to about a week.

Contrastingly, if your bronchitis results from a bacterial infection, antibiotics are generally prescribed by your healthcare expert. You’re no longer contagious approximately 24 hours after starting the antibiotic medication.

Is Bronchitis a Side-effect of COVID-19?

Acute bronchitis is a potential symptom of COVID-19. If you have already suffered from COVID-19, there is a high chance that the same virus may also cause you to go down with bronchitis. Just like coronavirus, acute bronchitis causes serious health complications and requires diagnosis and treatment at the earliest possible time.

How Is Bronchitis Diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will learn about your medical history and recent symptoms. During the diagnosis, they will carefully listen to your lungs through a stethoscope to detect abnormalities, such as wheezing.

What Tests Will Be Done to Diagnose This Condition?

There are no specific tests exclusively designed for diagnosing bronchitis, but your healthcare provider may recommend various tests, like:

• Nasal swab: A soft-tipped swab is inserted into your nose to detect viral infections like COVID-19 or the flu.
• Chest X-ray: If you’ve been coughing for a long time and there are no signs of improvement, doctors prescribe a chest X-ray to rule out more serious conditions. It will help them learn about the condition of your heart and lungs.
• Blood tests: Blood tests, performed through a needle inserted into your arm, reveal the presence of infections and provide an overall health assessment.
• Sputum test: You will be asked to cough and then provide a sputum sample for testing. It will help them identify signs of viral or bacterial involvement.
• Pulmonary function tests: When chronic bronchitis is suspected, pulmonary function tests are leveraged to check your lung functionality. These tests harness specialized equipment to measure lung capacity and airflow.

How Is Bronchitis Treated?

Acute bronchitis is treated without medications. But when it is the flu, if symptoms have arrived in the last two days, your healthcare provider may prescribe antiviral medications to expedite your recovery.

Let us tell you that bacteria seldom cause bronchitis, and antibiotics are generally ineffective when it comes to clearing the symptoms. It may worsen your condition and make you feel drowsy and weak.

What Medications Are Used to Treat Bronchitis?

Your healthcare provider won’t prescribe medications as the primary treatment for bronchitis. However, in certain situations, they prescribe medications to manage symptoms or address the underlying cause, including:

• Antiviral medications: If your bronchitis results from a flu infection, your healthcare provider may consider prescribing antiviral drugs such as Relenza®, Tamiflu®, and Rapivab®.
• Bronchodilators: If you are experiencing breathing difficulties, your provider may recommend bronchodilators. Bronchodilators help open your airways.
• Anti-inflammatory medications: Doctors sometimes prescribe corticosteroids and other anti-inflammatory medications to reduce airway inflammation.
• Cough suppressants: Prescription or over-the-counter cough suppressants like dextromethorphan (DayQuil™, Robitussin®, PediaCare®) and benzonatate (Zonatuss™, Tessalon Perles®) can help in warding off a constant cough.
• Antibiotics: Unless your healthcare provider suspects a bacterial infection, they don’t recommend taking antibiotics to treat bronchitis.
• COPD/Asthma treatment: If you suffer from chronic bronchitis associated with conditions like COPD or asthma, your healthcare provider may prescribe additional medications or breathing treatments as part of a comprehensive bronchitis management plan.

Should I Take Antibiotics for Bronchitis?

In most cases, taking antibiotics is not an effective bronchitis treatment. Antibiotics combat bacterial infections, and since bronchitis is caused by a virus about 95% of the time, antibiotics are ineffective against viral infections.

How Do I Manage the Symptoms of Bronchitis?

Here is what you can do:

• Over-the-counter Medications: Take acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or ibuprofen (Motrin®, Advil®) to reduce the discomfort.
• Rest: Having enough sleep and downtime will help you recover fast.
• Humidifier and Warm Showers: Running a humidifier in your room or indulging in warm showers can prove beneficial. These actions help loosen mucus and enhance your breathing comfort.

How Long Are You Contagious If You Have Acute Bronchitis?

If you contract acute bronchitis, it’ll be quite some days or more before you’re no longer capable of spreading the infection to others.

The bacteria and viruses responsible for bronchitis typically reside in your system for 2–6 days before you begin experiencing cold-like symptoms.

Bronchitis, particularly if it is viral, can be contagious shortly after exposure, often before noticeable symptoms manifest. This gap between exposure and the onset of illness provides a window for potential transmission.

Once symptoms appear, they resemble those of a flu or cold, lasting from a few days to a maximum of 10 days. While some symptoms may improve, a lingering cough can persist.

Contagiousness continues throughout the flu or cold phase, and if you develop viral bronchitis, you may remain contagious for a few days to a week.

How Can I Reduce My Risk of Bronchitis?

To reduce the risk of contracting contagious bronchitis, it’s important to steer clear of individuals who are unwell with bronchitis.

If you come close to individuals who may have contagious bronchitis:

• Practice regular handwashing.
• Use hand sanitizer when handwashing facilities are unavailable.
• Wear a good-quality face mask to minimize germ inhalation.
• If you are elderly, consider getting your yearly flu shot and thinking about a pneumonia vaccine, as these measures can protect you from contracting bronchitis and experiencing complications if you do contract it.

What’s the Outlook of Bronchitis?

Acute bronchitis isn’t usually a concern. Although frustrating, you’ll generally need to deal with the symptoms for a few weeks. However, if you suffer from an existing heart condition or another respiratory ailment, such as asthma, it can worsen the symptoms.

Contrastingly, chronic bronchitis is a more serious health condition. If you suffer from this, it directly translates to lung damage. Unfortunately, this damage is often irreversible. Chronic bronchitis develops slowly as a non-infectious, non-communicable disease. It usually results from prolonged exposure, especially to cigarette smoke, which initiates and sustains chronic airway inflammation.

Chronic bronchitis is also likely to be present in people who have initial problems with their lungs. A few examples of these underlying lung diseases include:

• Asthma
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• Emphysema
• Tuberculosis
• Lung scarring

It is possible to acquire a secondary infection from a bacteria or virus when you suffer from chronic bronchitis because the condition weakens your immune system and makes you more susceptible to such infections. In this scenario, the pathogen responsible for the acute infection might be infectious to others. Nonetheless, your healthcare provider can assist you in symptom management, reducing the frequency of flare-ups, and improving your overall quality of life.

Can Bronchitis Go Away on Its Own?

Acute bronchitis resolves on its own. Since it is viral, most viruses cannot be cleared off with medication. Therefore, acute bronchitis involves managing symptoms at home while allowing the inflammation to cure naturally.

When bronchitis is caused by factors other than viruses, you need a proper diagnosis and treatment for your recovery. Let us tell you that chronic bronchitis doesn’t completely resolve, but it can significantly improve with the right treatment and management.

How Long Does It Take to Get Over Bronchitis?

Most individuals recover from bronchitis after two weeks, though it may extend to three to six weeks. However, you can manage your symptoms with over-the-counter medications at home when you’re dealing with bronchitis.

However, if your symptoms persist beyond three weeks without improvement, you should consult your healthcare provider for further guidance.

How Do I Take Care of Myself?

If you suffer from chronic bronchitis, you may curb the frequency of your bronchitis symptoms by managing underlying issues, such as COPD. Seeking expert guidance from your healthcare provider to chart out a personalized treatment plan can help mitigate your specific worries.

When Should I See My Healthcare Provider About Bronchitis?

In many cases, bronchitis typically clears up with adequate rest and time. However, it’s advisable to contact your healthcare expert if:

• Your body temperature exceeds 100.4°F.
• You are expelling bloody mucus when coughing.
• You encounter breathing difficulties or wheezing.
• Symptoms persist without improvement for three weeks.
• Your cough subsides and then returns.

What Questions Should I Ask My Doctor?

You can ask the following questions to your healthcare provider:

• What are some of the most effective ways to manage bronchitis symptoms at home?
• What is the typical duration of bronchitis?
• What are some of the worsening or recent bronchitis signs should I look out for?
• When will I book an appointment with you if my bronchitis symptoms don’t improve?

Wrapping Up

We hope this blog has guided you on measures to prevent and manage bronchitis. Keeping track of these symptoms will help you deal with the condition better. However, always remember to take appropriate precautions, such as visiting your doctor when it gets worse. Keep updated on hygiene protocol and make the right decisions about your health in order to take care of yourself and those around you.

FAQs: Is Bronchitis Contagious?

1. Can you catch bronchitis from someone who has it?

Yes, bronchitis is a contagious disease.

2. What are the three symptoms of bronchitis?

Chest discomfort, coughs containing mucus, and shortness of breath are some of the primary symptoms of bronchitis.

3. How long does bronchitis last?

Acute cases of bronchitis mostly last between 6 and 10 days, while major cases could last over two weeks.