Emergency Care for Urgent Situations: Bronchitis
One of the major components of the respiratory system in the body are the bronchial tubes which play an important role as far as breathing is concerned. This is because they are the ones that deliver air to the lungs with each lung serviced by one of the two bronchial tubes. Bronchitis occurs when these tubes become infected and inflamed and it is also referred to as chest cold. Once infected and inflamed, the bronchial tubes will swell and produce mucus which can lead to symptoms such as persistent coughing, fatigue, a feeling of soreness in the chest as well as low grade fever. Acute bronchitis is actually quite common, and is typically caused by viruses. It can also be quite uncomfortable since it leads to your chest getting bogged down and clogged by mucus which can make it difficult to breath. As mentioned above, it can also lead to persistent coughing which can interrupt sleep and also impact your work. Most cases, bronchitis will go away after a while with the help of home remedies. However, there are instances where bronchitis may be serious and may require one to seek medical attention. This article will look to highlight the different stages of bronchitis and how to react to each of them, especially if you are experiencing urgent bronchitis.
First thing you should do as far as your bronchitis is concerned is to take a look at the extent of your symptoms. If your symptoms are not severe enough to warrant emergency care, then you should try a number of home remedies that may help you deal with your symptoms as well as reduce your recovery period. One of these home remedies involves ensuring that you drink lots of water, a recommended 6 to 8 large glasses per day. What this does is that it helps loosen the mucus clogging up your lungs, enabling you to cough up that mucus and as such allowing you to breathe better. You should also take medications that help loosen mucus which will also help you breathe better by working in the same way. You should also consult your doctor so that you can be given the green light on whether or not it is okay to take pain medications that will help you with accompanying symptoms of bronchitis such as muscle aches and pains as well as fever. You should also stop smoking as well as staying away from alcohol while also using a clean humidifier to help with the irritation due to the bronchitis.
However, if your bronchitis is severe and you are presenting with severe symptoms, then you should seek emergency care as soon as possible over at an emergency room. There are a number of signs and symptoms that you should look out for which, will tell you if you need emergency care for your bronchitis. They include if you notice an extreme change in your body temperature. Here, if your body temperature dramatically dips under 95 degrees Fahrenheit or if it goes above 104 degrees Fahrenheit, then you should seek emergency care as soon as possible. You should also do the same if you develop breathing difficulties such as chest pain and shortness of breath. Other signs of difficulties breathing include if you notice your fingertips, lips or skin turning pale or bluish in color. Dizziness or confusion are yet another sign that you need to seek emergency care for your bronchitis and as such if you become severely lightheaded or dizzy or you even lose consciousness or faint, then you should seek emergency care by having someone call 911. You should also get emergency care if you develop a rapid heart rate as this is yet another serious sign as far as your bronchitis goes. You should also seek emergency care if you are coughing up bloody mucus.
The length of your symptoms should also dictate if you should seek emergency care for your bronchitis. As mentioned earlier, while your bronchitis may alleviate after a week or two, if your symptoms persist for more than 3 weeks then you should also seek emergency care as far as your bronchitis is concerned. Symptoms that persist for that long are usually a sign of a more serious infection and should always be taken seriously. Age should also be a major factor as far as bronchitis is concerned. Since bronchitis is young children can carry a higher risk than that in adults, then you should ensure that a child with signs of bronchitis is taken for medical attention as soon as possible especially if they are presenting with a fever of over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, mucus that is thick or bloody or a persistent cough. Infants under the age of 3 months should be taken for emergency care if they are showing signs of bronchitis. Given bronchitis is usually as a result of a viral infection, you should also ensure you don’t take antibiotics for it as you may suffer unwanted side effects such as rashes, nausea, and diarrhea among others while also causing the bacteria in your body to develop resistance. You should stay away from antibiotics if you have bronchitis.
Hopefully, from the above discussion, you will be able to know how to proceed if you find yourself in an urgent situation as far as bronchitis is concerned and you can be able to steer clear of unwanted consequences.
