How to Tell if You Have Bronchitis

Inside your chest

Need to know how to tell if you have bronchitis? If you're coughing and feeling poorly, but not yet ready to see a doctor, examine your symptoms to see if you have bronchitis. These symptoms and self-diagnostic questions are for acute bronchitis, which usually lasts for a short period. Chronic bronchitis, on the other hand, is ongoing and usually caused by smoking. Here is what to look for and how to tell if you have bronchitis:

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Examine your cough. Acute bronchitis involves coughing that worsens over time and lasts for about 10-14 days. It also generally worsens at night and often produces mucous (phlegm).

2. Watch for shortness of breath, and a wheezing sound when you breathe. Both are signs of acute bronchitis.

3. Pay attention to a rattling sound in your chest, another indicator that you might have bronchitis.

4. Note a slight fever or overall feeling of illness that usually accompanies bronchitis.

5. Expect chest pain, soreness, and tightness in the chest with bronchitis.

6. Look for a combination of the above symptoms. When several are present, that's basically how to know if you have bronchitis.

Tips & Warnings

• Allow yourself plenty of rest if you are sick with bronchitis.

• Take extra fluids, especially herbal teas with raw honey, to improve your condition.

• Drink homemade chicken stock to help your body fight illness.

• See a doctor if coughing produces blood or blood-streaked mucous.

• Take repeated bouts of bronchitis seriously as it may indicate a lung disorder.