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Symptoms of recurrent bronchitis
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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After another acute respiratory viral infection, for a few weeks, a dry cough, then a wet one, persists for a day or more in the morning. Over the lungs, percussion is determined by a clear sound with a slight shortening in the interblade area. Against the background of severe breathing, various sonorities of the rales are heard and during the period of the severity of the process moist large and medium bubbles, variable in sound and localization. Under the influence of therapy, there is an improvement in the process in the lungs, and then again there are clinical signs of bronchial lesions, especially under the influence of another viral infection or cooling. The duration of exacerbations with relapsing bronchitis ranges from 2-3 weeks to 3 months. During an exacerbation there is an increase in body temperature to subfebrile within several days, and sometimes even weeks. During the period of remission, a moderate cough persists, especially in the mornings, with the allocation of scanty mucous or mucopurulent sputum, the condition of the child is quite satisfactory; in the lungs at the beginning of remission, hard breathing is maintained with auscultation, catarrhal changes disappear. Radiographically, there is some strengthening of the vascular pattern in the basal zones.
In children with recurrent bronchitis there are often foci of infection in the nasopharynx and paranasal sinuses (adenoiditis, sinusitis, tonsillitis), which requires consultations of ENT specialists at least 2-3 times a year and sanation of foci of infection. With persistent current of recurrent bronchitis with a long-term respiratory syndrome, with persistent physical changes in the lungs that have the same localization, bronchoscopy is indicated.
The experience of the Scientific Research Institute of Pulmonology shows that in 84% of cases in children with recurrent bronchitis inflammatory changes in the bronchial tree are of a non-stagnant nature and are endoscopically presented with catarrhal or hypertrophic endobronchitis. Endoscopic signs of the inflammatory process are the presence of hyperemia, puffiness, thickening of the mucous membrane, excessive secretion in the lumens of the bronchi. In 12% of patients in the period of exacerbation there are catarrhal-purulent, and in 3% - purulent endobronchitis. In single patients, atrophic changes in bronchial walls are detected. In the period of remission bronchoscopic signs of bronchitis are poorly expressed, but in most patients they persist, indicating the tendency of the disease to latent flow. When X-ray examination, increase the pulmonary pattern and expand the roots of the lungs.
On the part of the blood at the time of exacerbation of recurrent bronchitis there are no significant changes.
Recurrent bronchitis in a number of patients can be a clinical manifestation of cystic fibrosis, malformations of the lungs, ciliary dyskinesia syndrome. If suspected of these diseases, examination in the pulmonology department is necessary.
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