•  
  •  

Acute Bronchitis: Medical History

Topic Overview

During a medical history for acute bronchitis, your doctor will ask the following questions:

  • How long have you had the respiratory symptoms?
  • Do you have any other symptoms, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, wheezing, fever, or other general body symptoms?
  • Have you had other recent respiratory infections, such as a cold, the flu, or sinusitis?
  • Have you had recent contact with other people who have respiratory infections?
  • Do you smoke? If not, have you been in contact with air pollutants or other environmental irritants, such as smoke?
  • Do you have a cough that brings up mucus (productive cough)? If so, what color and how much? You may be asked to cough up a sample of mucus for testing. A cough may be dry (nonproductive) in many cases of acute bronchitis.
  • Do you have any other respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, or cystic fibrosis?

Related Information

Credits

By Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Robert L. Cowie, MB, FCP(SA), MD, MSc, MFOM - Pulmonology
Last Revised July 7, 2010

Last Revised: July 7, 2010

Author: Healthwise Staff

Medical Review: Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine & Robert L. Cowie, MB, FCP(SA), MD, MSc, MFOM - Pulmonology

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.

To learn more visit Healthwise.org

© 1995-2012 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.