Diagnosis and management of acute bronchitis.
Acute bronchitis is one of the top 10 conditions for which patients seek medical care. Physicians show considerable variability in describing the signs and symptoms necessary to its diagnosis. Because acute bronchitis most often has a viral cause, symptomatic treatment with protussives, antitussives, or bronchodilators is appropriate. However, studies indicate that many physicians treat bronchitis with antibiotics. These drugs have generally been shown to be ineffective in patients with uncomplicated acute bronchitis. Furthermore, antibiotics often have detrimental side effects, and their overuse contributes to the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance. Patient satisfaction with the treatment of acute bronchitis is related to the quality of the physician-patient interaction rather than to prescription of an antibiotic.
Knutson
Doug
D
Department of Family Medicine, Ohio State University School of Medicine and Public Health, Columbus 43201, USA.
Braun
Chad
C
D000208:Acute Disease; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000996:Antitussive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005100:Expectorants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000996:Antitussive Agents; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents; D005100:Expectorants