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Symptoms of acute bronchitis in children
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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The onset of acute bronchitis, as a rule, is gradual. Against the background of the distinctive features of acute respiratory viral infection, which are peculiar to this or that respiratory virus, coughing intensifies, especially at night. Cough initially dry, rough, sometimes obtrusive, without secreted secretion or with a hard-to-separate lump of mucous sputum after repeated coughing. The temperature of the body in the early days depends on the nature and course of acute respiratory viral infection, then at the clinic of uncomplicated bronchitis-normal or subfebrile. In young children, there may be lethargy, moods, sleep and appetite disorders.
With simple bronchitis, signs of bronchial obstruction and respiratory failure are not noted. With percussion of the lung, there is no local symptomatology, there may be a slight shortening of the sound in the interscapular space, breathing is hard, it is well conducted to all parts of the lungs, scattered dry rales are heard over the whole surface of the chest from both sides. At the height of the inspiration, along with dry rales, moist and variously-sized, predominantly large and medium bubbling rales can be heard. The number of wheezing during the day can vary, it also changes after a cough. On the 3-5th day, the cough becomes wet, sputum, mucous or mucocutaneous purulence begins to depart. At auscultation, wet wheezing disappears, the number of dry wheezes decreases, they become less sonorous. A productive cough is one of the most pathognomonic symptoms of acute simple bronchitis.
If there are clear clinical and anamnestic data, which testify in favor of acute bronchitis, X-ray examination is not necessary.
X-ray examination becomes mandatory if there is a suspicion of a local or predominantly one-sided nature of the lesion when examining the bronchopulmonary system, especially when combined with fever for more than three days, marked by intoxication, leukocytosis, neutrophilia and increased ESR.
Differential diagnosis is performed with pneumonia, bronchopulmonary diseases, exacerbations of which can occur with the clinic of acute bronchitis (cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, etc.). If there is a suspicion of pneumonia (asymmetry of physical data, marked signs of intoxication), chest radiography is mandatory.
The duration of acute bronchitis is usually 2-3 weeks.
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