Your doctor will ask about your smoking history and listen to your lungs with a stethoscope. You may take tests, including:
Pulmonary function tests: This is a series of measurements of how much air your lungs can hold while breathing in and out.
Chest X-ray: Uses radiation to make a picture of your lungs to rule out heart failure or other illnesses that make it hard to breathe.
Computed tomography: This CT scan give a much more detailed look at your airways than a chest X-ray.
Most cases of acute bronchitis get better without treatment, usually within a couple of weeks.
Medications
Because most cases of bronchitis are caused by viral infections, antibiotics aren't effective. However, if your doctor suspects that you have a bacterial infection, he or she may prescribe an antibiotic.
In some circumstances, your doctor may recommend other medications, including:
Cough medicine. If your cough keeps you from sleeping, you might try cough suppressants at bedtime.
Other medications. If you have allergies, asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), your doctor may recommend an inhaler and other medications to reduce inflammation and open narrowed passages in your lungs.
Quitting smoking.
Staying away from secondhand smoke and other lung irritants.
Taking medicines by mouth (oral) to open airways and help clear away mucus.
Taking inhaled medicines, such as bronchodilators and steroids.
Getting oxygen from portable containers.
