Acute Bronchitis Flashcards
What is acute bronchitis?
Infection and inflammation in the bronchi and bronchioles.
It is a type of LRTI that is usually self-limiting in nature.
Clinical features of acute bronchitis?
1) cough: may or may not be productive
2) sore throat
3) rhinorrhoea
4) wheeze
5) may have low grade fever
How to differentiate acute bronchitis from pneumonia by history:
Sputum, wheeze, breathlessness may be absent in acute bronchitis whereas at least one tends to be present in pneumonia.
How to differentiate acute bronchitis from pneumonia by examination:
No other focal chest signs (dullness to percussion, crepitations, bronchial breathing) in acute bronchitis other than wheeze.
Moreover, systemic features (malaise, myalgia, and fever) may be absent in acute bronchitis, whereas they tend to be present in pneumonia.
What is used to guide where abx are offered in acute bronchitis?
CRP
What CRP level indicates the need for abx in acute bronchitis?
20-100 mg/L –> offer delayed abx
> 100 mg/L –> offer abx immediately
1st line abx in acute bronchitis?
Doxycycline
What INR is a relative contraindication for chest drain insertion?
> 1.3
What is the most important pharmacological treatment for high altitude cerebral oedema?
Dexamethasone
What medication is used for primary PREVENTION of acute mountain sickness & high altitude pulmonary oedema?
Acetazolamide
What physiological change can recurrent PEs cause?
Reduced TLCO
This is due to areas of the lung becoming poorly perfused and ventilated, leading to a ventilation-perfusion mismatch
What is the most common organism isolated from patients with bronchiectasis?
H. influenzae
What picture does A1AT deficiency show in spirometry?
Obstructive picture
