There are different types of bronchitis depending on the root cause. Before making a treatment plan, your child’s doctor will need to determine whether your child’s bronchitis is acute (short term) or chronic (long term) and viral or bacterial.
Viral bronchitis
According to the ALA, acute bronchitis may result from an upper respiratory virus like the common cold or flu. When this happens, it’s called viral bronchitis. This illness may last between 7 and 10 days, but according to the CDC, the cough may linger for up to 3 weeks Trusted Source. The cough with viral bronchitis tends to go away on its own. Viruses do not respond to antibiotics.
Around 95 percent Trusted Source of acute bronchitis cases in the general population are due to viruses.
Bacterial bronchitis
If acute bronchitis develops in response to bacteria growth in the bronchi, it’s called bacterial bronchitis. According to the NHS, this type of bronchitis is not as common as viral bronchitis. But the symptoms may be nearly identical and short in duration. In fact, 2008 research Trusted Source indicates that the color of the mucus cannot distinguish whether the bronchitis is viral or bacterial.
Just 5 percent of acute bronchitis cases in the general population are due to bacteria.
Chronic bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis lasts longer than 4 weeks, according to the American Thoracic Society (ATS), or comes back after treatment. Smoking and other habits are associated with chronic bronchitis. For this reason, it’s not often diagnosed in kids.
In a 2020 study on Swedish teens, only around 5.5 percent were diagnosed with this condition. About 37 percent of them were smokers.
Which children are at risk of acute bronchitis?
Acute bronchitis is an illness that any child can develop. That said, some kids may be more prone to it than others.
Risk factors include:
- asthma
- allergies, such as pollen or perfume allergies
- chronic sinus issues
- exposure to outdoor pollution
- exposure to secondhand smoke
- living in a crowded environment
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