When Does Bronchitis Become an Emergency?
Bronchitis is a respiratory disease that results from the inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes, which are the ones responsible for carrying air to and from the lungs. The inflammation may be due to infection or irritation and may lead to the narrowing and irritation of the aforementioned airways. This may make breathing, which under normal circumstances should be easy, almost as second nature, very difficult. One of the key things observed in people with bronchitis is the coughing up of thickened mucus which can turn greenish or yellowish. Bronchitis often develops from cold or other respiratory infections and can either be acute or chronic. While acute bronchitis is common but not always that serious, chronic bronchitis is more serious and is characterized by constant inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes and is usually as a result of heavy smoking. As for acute bronchitis, which is also referred to as chest cold, it usually eases and goes away within 10 days with home remedies. However, there are cases of bronchitis that are much more serious and that need one to seek immediate medical attention; implying that the bronchitis has become an emergency. This article will look to highlight a few signs that your bronchitis has now become an emergency and should be treated as soon as possible to prevent the situation from escalating any further.
One thing you should keep an eye out for as far as bronchitis is concerned is your body temperature. Extreme shifts or changes in body temperatures in people with bronchitis is a sign that the situation has become an emergency and as such should be taken seriously. This shift in body temperatures takes into accounts both extreme increases and decreases in temperature. The subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com advise that if one experiences a dip in body temperature to an extent where the body temperature goes below 95 degrees Fahrenheit or if, on the flip side, experience a rise in body temperature to an extent where the temperature rises above 104 degrees Fahrenheit, then this is a clear sign that the bronchitis has become and emergency and as such one should head over to an emergency room as soon as possible. Another clear sign indicating that the bronchitis has become an emergency is if you start to develop a rapid heart rate. Here the critical number one should exceed is a resting breathing rate of 30 breaths per minute or a resting heart rate of 125 beats per minute. If you exceed any of these numbers, then it means that your bronchitis has now become an emergency.
Another parameter to keep an eye out for, and one that will help you determine whether your bronchitis has become an emergency or not is your breathing. As a rule of thumb, and something that is backed up by the subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com, if you start to develop difficulties breathing, then you should ensure you head over to an emergency care facility as soon as you can as this is a clear sign that your bronchitis has now become an emergency. This includes pain, especially chest pain, when breathing, as well as shallow breathing. If you also have to work so hard to breath, so much so that you start getting tired just by breathing, then this is another sign that your bronchitis has now become an emergency. Another red flag to keep your eyes peeled out for, one that will also indicate that the bronchitis has become an emergency is if your nails and lips begin to change color and turn blue or grey. This is yet another sign that your bronchitis has become an emergency and as such you should head over to an emergency room as soon as possible for immediate medical attention.
Another sign that your bronchitis has now become an emergency and as such you need to head over to an emergency medical facility as soon as possible is if you start to develop dizziness or confusion. The same applies if you suffer a loss in consciousness, with the subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com being adamant that under these circumstances you should head over to an emergency room as soon as possible as this is a clear sign that your bronchitis has now become an emergency. Yet another sign that your bronchitis has become an emergency is if you begin to cough up blood. This, as can be expected, should be taken seriously and one should definitely head over to the nearest emergency medical facility for evaluation and to be attended to. As a rule of thumb, when it comes to children under the age of two years and infants, any sort of symptoms indicating bronchitis should be treated as an emergency and should end with them being taken to the nearest emergency room for treatment.
The above are some of the indicators to look out for that will indicate that your bronchitis has become an emergency and as such you should head over to an emergency room as soon as possible, with more on this topic and so much more to be found over at the ever reliable frontlineer.com, so ensure you check them out.
