Symptoms of bronchitis without fever in an adult

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Bronchitis is a disease of the respiratory system, in which inflammatory processes occur in the bronchial tree. One of the main symptoms of the disease is a significant increase in body temperature and cough. But sometimes there is an asymptomatic course of bronchitis. Find out how to diagnose it in this case and what treatment methods to use.

The reasons for the development of bronchitis

The bronchi are a very sensitive part of the lungs to various influences. Inflammation of their tissues can develop for various reasons.

The most common:

1. Allergens. Most often, this affects patients suffering from angioedema and bronchial asthma.
2. Toxic substances. When inhaled, not only general poisoning of the body occurs, but also physical destruction of bronchial tissues.
3. Fungal infection (mycosis). This type of bronchitis often develops in organ transplant survivors or AIDS patients.
4. Bacteria. This type of disease manifests itself as a complication of diseases of the upper respiratory tract - sinusitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis. With their chronic course, local immunity decreases and the functioning of the immune system as a whole weakens. Because of this, bronchitis may begin to develop.
5. Viruses. One of the most common causes of the disease. In this case, a person first develops an acute respiratory viral infection, against the background of which (if there is no timely treatment) the infection descends into the lower parts of the respiratory system. As a result, the tissues of the bronchial tree become inflamed, and the development of bronchitis begins.

Allergens and toxic substances are the rarest causes of bronchial damage.

There are several factors that contribute to the inflammation of the bronchial tissue. These include:

• heart failure in a small circle;
• malfunction of the peripheral circulation;
• hereditary predisposition;
• chronic respiratory diseases;
• work in hazardous production;
• living in an unfavorable environment;
• smoking;
• too frequent colds, in which the immune system is depleted.

All these factors negatively affect the lung tissue, which is why a person gradually develops bronchitis.

Symptoms

Usually bronchitis has pronounced symptoms that facilitate diagnosis. Typical signs of the disease include:

• chest discomfort:
• fever and chills;
• dyspnea;
• weakness and feeling tired;
• sputum separation (green, yellowish-gray, transparent, in rare cases streaked with blood);
• cough (dry or wet).

Bronchitis without fever in an adult may have the following symptoms:

• prolonged cough;
• well audible wheezing and whistling;
• in some cases, blue skin;
• sometimes asthmatic syndrome;
• sputum of a different nature, depending on the form and stage of the disease;
• shortness of breath.

With late diagnosis and lack of timely treatment, the patient may develop more serious respiratory diseases.

Types of bronchitis without fever

There are several forms of bronchitis, in which the body temperature is most often kept within the normal range. These include:

1. Bronchitis on the background of IDS (immunodeficiency). In this case, the body's immune system ceases to function normally, due to which the overall resistance to infections decreases. This form manifests itself in general signs of intoxication: poor health, nausea, and others.
2. Plastic form. One of the rarest species. The reasons for its development are currently unknown. The main symptom is that the separated sputum contains particles of bronchial mucous tissue in the form of casts.
3. Smoker's bronchitis. Regular penetration of toxic substances into the bronchi has a gradual destructive effect on them. This type of disease is characterized by a morning cough with copious phlegm.
4. Dust damage. This type of disease is typical for people working in dusty production (mines, metal and stone processing, etc.). Often in such patients there is atrophy of the bronchial mucosa and hardening.
5. Allergic bronchitis. The characteristic signs of this form are shortness of breath, shortness of breath, intense cough.
6. Obstructive type. It can proceed without hyperthermia (temperature rise) in 50% of patients. Often seen in smokers. The main signs of this form are a decrease in the ventilation function of the lungs and edema of the bronchial mucosa, accompanied by their narrowing.
7. Chronical bronchitis. In this case, the temperature may not be at all or there may be a slight increase. This form is transitional from the acute stage. Most often it happens due to self-medication and lack of drug therapy. Against this background, local immunity decreases, and the body ceases to resist the causative agents of the disease.

Acute bronchitis, manifested as a complication of other diseases of the respiratory system, is always accompanied by an increase in body temperature.

Diagnostics

Only a doctor can correctly diagnose after a series of studies. They will help determine the type of bronchitis and its shape. Based on the tests, the doctor will prescribe the appropriate treatment. If all appointments are observed, the disease recedes after 1-2 weeks.

Diagnostic measures for bronchitis include:

1. Spirography. Helps to exclude the presence of bronchial asthma. No special preparation is required for this procedure, it is carried out only on an empty stomach. The bottom line is to calculate the volume of exhaled and inhaled air.
2. Bronchoscopy. It is carried out in order to assess the condition of the tissues of the bronchial tree, the patency of the bronchi and their contents. For the procedure, a broncho-fibroscope is used, the tube of which is inserted into the organ through the mouth or nose. Before the session, the patient must be provided with local anesthesia.
3. Sputum analysis. Her patient coughs up into a special vessel. The essence of the procedure is to identify the causative agent of the disease and check its sensitivity to different types of antibiotics.
4. Fluorography (X-ray). It is carried out to exclude lung diseases - oncology or cancer.
5. Clinical blood test. It is done only on an empty stomach. Helps to identify the level of leukocytes and erythrocytes.

Also, to determine the presence of wheezing and whistling, auscultation (listening) of the lungs is performed.

Traditional treatment

For the treatment of bronchitis, a complex technique is used, which includes medications and funds aimed at alleviating the condition. Medicines used to treat bronchitis in adults without fever include:

• antiviral:
• antibiotics;
• antihistamines;
• bronchodilators;
• mucolytics;
• vitamins;
• immunomodulators.

Which groups of drugs will be used directly depends on the causative agent of the disease and the type of bronchitis.

Electrophoresis with calcium ion preparations is often used as an additional method of treatment.

Also, the patient must be provided with the following conditions:

• bed rest;
• a diet in which sweet and sour foods are excluded;
• drinking plenty of fluids.

The room in which the patient is located must be regularly ventilated and wet cleaned.

Treatment with folk methods

As a concomitant therapy for bronchitis, you can use traditional medicine recipes. Before using, be sure to consult with your doctor.

The most popular and effective remedies:

• decoctions of herbs with an expectorant effect (coltsfoot, wild rosemary, licorice root, marshmallow, etc.)NS.);
• inhalation with a nebulizer or hot steam;
• honey compress on the shoulder blades.

It is important to remember that it is impossible to cure bronchitis only with the help of traditional medicine. This is due to the fact that it is possible to drown out the symptoms, which makes it difficult to diagnose, and the disease will turn into a chronic form.

Outcomes

Bronchitis without fever in an adult must be treated promptly. Otherwise, it can go into a latent form or give serious complications. Self-medication is not recommended. To reduce the risk of this disease, you need to quit smoking, use hardening, exercise and get an annual flu vaccine.